Suspect
by Nix1978
Summary: Emily has left the BAU and a few months later some local Detectives drop by Quantico to reveal something that shocks the team. Ratings may change. Will be M/P with some team involvement
1. Chapter 1

**This story is set after Emily leaves… It's not about her leaving though. It may be a little far fetched, but I've let my imagination run with this one and I have no idea how it's going to pan out in the end… So let's start this little journey. Hope you enjoy.**

One by one, the Agents strolled into the briefing room. Rossi was telling JJ about a date he'd had with his local florist and they laughed as he told her about how stupid he felt turning up with a bunch of flowers, suddenly feeling they were totally inadequate compared to what she dealt with on a day to day basis. Morgan took a sip of his usual morning coffee as he sat down at the round table getting increasingly bored with Reid's recap of the previous night's chess tournament he'd won. The dark Agent was relieved when he looked up to see Garcia come walking through the door,

"What's the case?" Morgan asked her, cutting off Reid's story.

She shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?" JJ asked.

"There isn't a case as far as I know."

"But Hotch called us all in here." Reid stated.

"Well don't look at me." Garcia scolded, just as the Unit Chief walked in through the door with two unfamiliar suited men.

"Guys…" Hotch said, grabbing everyone's attention, "These are Detectives from the local police department. They'd like to speak with us all."

Hotch turned to face the men, indicating for them to begin.

"Thank you Agent Hotchner…." The older of the two men said, nodding to Hotch before turning to face the others. "…. I am Detective Hodgson and my colleague is Detective Harold with the Washington Police Department. We need to speak to you all about your former colleague… Agent Emily Prentiss."

Emily had been gone about two months now. She had transferred to the Counter intelligence department. It had felt that no sooner was she back, she was gone again and every day that they sat at the round table, there wasn't one of them who didn't miss her or half expect her to walk through the door to join them.

"Is she ok?" Garcia was quickest to ask with an immediate panic in her tone.

"We think so." Hodgson replied.

"What do you mean, _you think so?_" Morgan snapped, sitting up straight in his seat.

"Well, we don't know where she is right now."

"Where she is…..?" Morgan started, his brow deeply furrowed, "….. Why do you need to know where she is?"

"We need to speak with her."

"About what?" Morgan asked impatiently.

"Well first of all we'd like to know when you all last saw her." The Detective stated, his tone defensive.

Rossi stood up slowly, "Detective, with all due respect, I think you need to tell us what's going on. Agent Prentiss is not just a former colleague, she is a friend and we would like to know that she is ok."

"I know you are good friends and that is exactly why I'm here. I know about the history of this team."

"What do you mean by that?" Morgan defended, his eyes scowling at the tall Detective.

Hotch took a step forward toward the intruder, "Detective. Is Agent Prentiss ok?"

"I have no reason to think she isn't."

"So what _is_ this about? Agent Rossi is right. You could at least tell us what is going on." The Unit chief asked, his tone calm but firm.

"Agent Prentiss is a suspect in a current murder investigation."

"What!" At least three of the profilers could be heard to exclaim, the others stunned into silence.

"She is wanted for questioning in relation to the murder of a Shane Castello. We cannot find her, hence why we came here. I need to know when you all last saw her and if you have heard from her in the last few days."

Morgan was the next to stand, "Wait a minute. You're saying you think she murdered this guy?"

The Detective nodded, "That is what we are trying to establish, but the fact that her FBI issued glock was the murder weapon and that she is believed to have fled the country makes her our number one suspect."

"Fled the country?" JJ repeated in disbelief.

Hodgson held his hands out in front of him, "Look, I am not in a position to reveal all the details right now. I just need to ask you a few questions and then I have to get back to my investigation. So if I could just….."

"But…." Morgan started, cut off by Hotch who looked at him;

"We all want answers…." He said softly, "… But let's just give the Detective what he wants right now and then we can find out more." The Unit Chief reasoned.

Rossi and Morgan reluctantly sat back down whilst Hotch nodded to the detective to continue.

"Ok. I need to know when the last time was you all heard from or saw Agent Prentiss." He asked, looking at Garcia, signalling for her to answer first.

Everyone turned to the techie, her face pale and full of worry. She looked towards Morgan as if asking him what she should do. He nodded in encouragement.

"We, er…." She paused, unable to straighten her thoughts with the wave of panic flowing through her. She felt the familiar touch of JJ's hand on her arm, who took over, "We saw her at the weekend. Me and Emily went to Garcia's apartment."

"What for?" The Detective asked.

JJ shrugged, "Just a girl's night in. We had some food and talked."

"About what?"

"Well not about her plotting to murder someone if that's what you're asking." JJ spat out.

"JJ." Hotch murmured in an attempt to calm the blond.

JJ shifted in her seat, defiantly showing no sign of continuing.

"Was there anything different about her?" Hodgson continued, ignoring the blonde's outburst

"No. She was fine. We talked about her new job, men, shopping…. All the normal stuff we talk about when we get together."

"And have either of you heard from her since?"

Garcia shook her head, but JJ nodded, "I text her the following day to say it was great to see her and she text back saying the same. That's it."

"Ok. Thank you…." The Detective said, shifting his gaze to Reid. "…. What about you Agent….?"

"Doctor Reid." The young profiler corrected, watching the detective write his details in his notebook.

"Doctor Reid, the last time you heard from her?" He asked, without looking up from what he was writing.

"I called her last Thursday. We planned to go and see a French movie next week."

"Next week…?" Hodgson said, turning his gaze back to Reid with a raised brow, "….. Did you suggest that or her?"

"I did."

"And she said she'd go?"

"Yes. We'd been meaning to go ever since she left but we never got the chance." Reid muttered with a hint of disappointment.

"Ok. Thank you… Agent Rossi?" The tall man continued, turning to the older profiler.

"The last time I spoke to her was at my place about three weeks ago. Everyone came round for dinner."  
>"That was the last time I saw her too." Hotch added quickly.<p>

"About three weeks ago…." The detective confirmed, appearing to lose immediate interest in the two older profilers.

He then turned to Morgan, "… Ok. Agent Morgan. The last time you saw her?"

Morgan paused for a second, his chin rested on his hand, one finger rubbing his lips in an attempt to keep in the frustration brewing in him. After labored exhale, he answered, "Tuesday. I last saw her on Tuesday." He muttered, not making eye contact with the tall man.

"As in two days ago?" The Detective asked, his attention fully drawn.

"Yes."

"Where?"

Morgan bit his bottom lip trying to mask the anxiety and as he gained his composure he then looked up to Hodgson.

"At my place." He said, matter of factly.

The room all turned to look at him. He hadn't mentioned seeing her to anyone.

"Tuesday evening?" The Detective asked.

"No. It was Tuesday morning. Before we went to work." He confessed.

He could feel the stare of his colleagues on him, but his gaze remained fixed on the Detective and his expression didn't falter at all.

"You're in a relationship with her?"

The entire room waited on his answer and they watched as Morgan shook his head slowly, letting a breath escape his throat before continuing, "Sort of…. It's complicated."

"And that's the last time you heard from her?"

"Yeah." He whispered uncomfortably.

"Ok, I think you and me need to have a bit more of an in depth discussion…." Hodgson said, turning to Hotch, "Is that ok? I have a few calls to make, but can I then borrow Agent Morgan for a few minutes?"

"Of course." The unit chief nodded.

As the Detectives left the room, there was a stunned silence. No one really knew where to start.

Morgan glanced around the room, holding his hands in front of him as if in surrender, "Ok guys, what's going on between her and me right now isn't important and is nothing to do with this. You have my word. We need to find out what the hell's going on."

And in a split second, they all reverted to what they knew best.

"Garcia, look up Shane Castello. Just on the internet, not police systems." Hotch told the shell shocked blond.

Her shaking fingers tapped on the keyboard and the whole room stared at the screen.

"Here's the news piece." She said, clicking on the link and beginning to read. "… Shane Castello, 38 years, was found shot dead at Hogan's Bar in down town Washington DC."

"I know that place…" Rossi interrupted, "… it's a hang out for Harry Castello."

"As in the local kingpin Harry Castello?" Hotch confirmed.

"Yeah…" Rossi answered, leaning over Garcia, "….Check and see how Shane is related."

A few taps later…. "It's his son." Garcia stated.

"Who's Harry Castello?" JJ asked.

"Likes to think of himself as the local mob boss. Has fingers in many pies around the city." Hotch told her.

Rossi shook his head with worry, "Well one thing's for sure, if his son has just been killed it will have started a war."

"But what the hell has this got to do with Emily?" Morgan asked in frustration.

"Yeah, what possible motive could she have for killing him?" Reid added.

"We're not sure…." The familiar tone of the Detective causing them all to turn to him, "…. But we're working on it. And with all due respect, this is our case. I would ask that you don't interfere."

"But she's our friend…." Reid argued.

"Just a word of warning to you all….." Hodgson began, his tone deep and certain, "…. We are well aware of the background of this team and what you did to help Agent Prentiss last time she was in trouble. You will be monitored closely, so don't think about doing anything stupid."

Hotch's brow furrowed, "Detective I can assure you no one here will interfere in this case, however she is our friend and we are entitled to worry about her. I suggest if you want us to answer your questions, you change your attitude towards my team."

The Detective looked as if he were sucking the inside of his mouth, just dying to retaliate, but he held his nerve.

"Agent Hotchner, I apologise. I meant no offence…." Hodgson said through gritted teeth, "….. Could I now have a few minutes with Agent Morgan?"

"Of course." Hotch said, looking towards Morgan who didn't look quite so accommodating.

The dark profiler didn't say a word as he walked out of the room, not even acknowledging the Detective as he did.

When they had left Hotch turned to Garcia, "You're going to have to stop that…" The Unit Chief said, nodding toward the keyboard. "….Hodgson is right. They will be watching us like hawks with this going on. If they think we are helping her or covering something up, it will be the end of this team."

"But we have to help her." JJ almost pleaded.

Rossi shook his head, "Hotch is right. I don't think for a second that she has done anything wrong. We have to have faith in the Police investigation….."

~~CM~~

The profilers remained together sat around the round table apart from JJ who was pacing the room until Morgan returned to them.

"How did it go?" Hotch asked, standing as soon as he saw the younger agent.

Morgan shook his head and rubbed his forehead, the stress apparent in his eyes, "I couldn't give them anything useful." He uttered.

"Did they tell you anything else?" JJ asked searchingly.

"Yeah, they said she left the country this morning on a plane to Sao Paulo."

"She went to Brazil?" Reid questioned, somewhat stunned.

Morgan sighed, "Apparently she did….." He turned to look at Garcia, "Can you pull up the security footage for the airport. I won't believe it till I see her with my own eyes."

The techie's eyes widened as she stared at him in silence. He followed her gaze as it moved pleadingly to Hotch.

"What?" Morgan said to his Unit Chief.

"We can't get involved in this."

"What do you mean? Of course we have to." Morgan snapped.

"Morgan. They don't trust us after the whole Doyle thing. We could just end up making things worse for her." Hotch attempted to reason.

"This is bullshit." Morgan spat out, kicking a chair leg as he paced the room.

"I know…" Hotch began, "… I'm going to contact the Chief of Police. See exactly what they have and see if we can help officially. I will let you all know everything as soon as I do. I promise you I won't just give up. For now, you should all get on with your work."

They all watched Hotch rush out of the room and one by one they followed slowly until Morgan was left alone with Garcia.

"You're not going to leave it are you?" The blond said softly to her friend.

He shook his head, his dark eyes almost pleading with her, "Is there any way you can get the security footage from the airport without them knowing?" He asked, his voice quiet and broken.

Garcia took a deep breath and nodded, "Yeah. I'll ask Kevin to help."

"Thank you…" He said, trying to force a grateful smile, "…..I promise I won't ask anything else of you."

"Hey…" The techie said, standing up and pointing a finger at Morgan, "….Don't you dare think you're doing this alone. Anything you need, I will help. Ok?"

A genuine smile crept across his face and he wrapped a strong arm around her shoulders, placing a chaste kiss on her forehead, "Thank you Penelope." He whispered.

~~CM~~

Twenty minutes later Garcia and Morgan hovered, each over one of Kevin's shoulders, looking at his multiple screens.

"Right…." Kevin started, "… I managed to pull up the passenger lists for all flights to Sao Paulo this morning from Washington. An Emily Prentiss was on flight AA1721 which flew to Miami and then on to Brazil. Check in desks were here..." He said pointing to the crowded airport lobby.

"How are we going to find her in all these people?" Garcia sighed, almost deflated.

"No worry sugarplum…." Kevin said cheerily, "... They have state of the art security cameras here. It's amazing. I looked up the specification and do you know that…"  
>Garcia halted him, "Sweetie, I'm sure it's great, but we don't have time for this. We need to find her."<p>

"Oh. Ok… Sorry….. Well she checked in at eight fifteen at check in desk 87, so if I just forward it a little….."

"There!" Garcia said, pointing to the slim, tall, dark haired female stood at desk 87. "…Clock says eight fifteen. That's got to be her right?"

Morgan swallowed hard, watching the female figure. It sure did look like her from behind.

The three Agents watched the woman, who was wearing a wide brimmed hat and dark sunglasses, remove them briefly as the check in agent studied her passport. Before turning around however, she put them back on.

"Kevin, can you zoom in on her?" Morgan asked hurriedly.

"Sure." He obliged.

Morgan leaned in closer to the screen and studied the form walking across the busy lobby. He could barely see her face, the brim of the hat covering all but her chin, but something caught his eye.

"That's not her." He assured.

"How can you tell?" Garcia asked.

"Look here…." Morgan said, pointing to the dark haired woman's neck, "…Zoom in more Kevin."

"What?" She asked impatiently.

"There's a birth mark on this woman's neck. Emily does not have one there."

"You sure?"

"Yes I am. Believe me." He said with certainty.

The blond turned and looked over to Morgan, who took a couple of seconds to notice her glare,

"What?" He asked Garcia who had the smallest of smiles on her face.

"I wish you'd of told me about seeing her….. I wish she'd of told me." Her voice soft and trailing off after the last words.

Morgan placed one hand on the techie's shoulder, "It's not that we wanted to hide it from you or anything. We were just trying to figure our way through it first before telling anyone. You gotta know by now that life with Emily Prentiss is never straight forward." He said, his voice softening, with a hint of a smile in his voice.

She stared at him and placed her hand upon his, "I know. It's ok. I get it."

~~CM~~

It was now late and Hotch was getting nowhere fast with the local cops so he ordered the team home, which they did reluctantly, all of them knowing they wouldn't be getting any rest tonight. Morgan and Garcia kept their findings between themselves for now, realizing their actions could harm any chance of the team helping Emily.

They all prayed that the new day would bring them something they could work with. What came though, was not what they had in mind...

~~CM~~

Morgan sat perched on the end of Garcia's desk, plotting their next move, but they were interrupted as Reid came bounding in, "Guys you have to come and see this." The young doctor said breathlessly, before turning and almost jogging down the corridor back to the bull pen.

As Garcia and Morgan hurried in, they saw all of their colleagues stood staring up at the television screen on the wall. Once they were in position they were both immediately consumed by the vision in front of them. That familiar stock photo of Emily that they had both looked at every day on the 'wall of honor' after she had 'died', but this time it was so different. Above the photo the word 'WANTED' burning out of the screen and the reporter's words bellowing at them;

_Reports are coming in from Brazil that an FBI Agent from here in the United States is wanted in connection with a murder in Sao Paulo. Agent Emily Prentiss, pictured here, is an Agent based in the Counter Intelligence Department in Washington DC. The FBI have made no official statement at this time. We will bring you more as we get it….._

To be continued…..


	2. Chapter 2

**AN… To anyone who read the first chapter as soon as I posted it, I changed something minor… you may need to go back and re read just from the bit where they're in Kevin's office….. Thanks for all the reviews! Next chapter... hope you enjoy **

"What the hell is going on?" JJ snapped, turning away from the screen to Hotch for answers.

He just shook his head with a deeply furrowed brow, feeling the stress of his team relying on him to find the answers.

"You need to speak with the cops again." Rossi suggested, Hotch nodding in agreement but remaining silent in thought.

They hadn't noticed Morgan and Garcia stood at the back of the room, he with his arms folded, staring blankly at the screen, which was now showing a piece on the elections soon looming. Garcia touched his arm gently, bringing him out of his trance and he turned to look at her.

"We should tell them it wasn't her at the airport." Garcia whispered, leaning in.

Morgan shook his head, "No. They're not going to take my word for it that it's not her, are they? We need more than that."

"So what do we do?"

Morgan looked down feeling helpless, "I don't know." His words cracking under his raspy voice.

Garcia's attention was drawn to Rossi, JJ and Reid, who joined them.

"How you holding up Morgan?" The older profiler asked with concern.

The dark agent pulled his arms around himself even tighter as if hugging himself for comfort, before looking to Rossi, "This is like Doyle all over again. It's a nightmare."

"I know." Rossi nodded, looking at the pained expression on his friend's face.

"Where's Hotch gone?" Garcia asked.

"He's gone to find out more about the Brazil murder." JJ told her.

"Then he's going to brief us on everything the cops have given him." Rossi added.

"There has to be something we can help with right?" Reid asked hopefully.

Rossi subconsciously shook his head, his actions betraying his words, "I sure hope so."

The older profiler then turned speaking to Morgan solely, "You got a minute for a quick word?"

"Sure." Morgan nodded, following Rossi up to his office.

Morgan took a seat opposite Rossi's empty chair across the desk, rubbing the palms of his hands on his face in an attempt to sooth his tired, stinging eyes.

The next thing he knew a glass tumbler was placed gently down on the desk in front of him with the smallest measure of brown, transparent liquid in it.

"Rossi, we're on duty. I can't drink that." He said, as Rossi sat himself down to face Morgan.

"It's one little drop. Just to calm yourself a little." Rossi encouraged.

"I don't wanna calm down. I want to find her, and find out what the hell's going on." Morgan spat, his venom not directed toward Rossi… the older profiler knew that.

"We all do Derek….." The man's words calming. "…. So you going to tell me what's been going on between you two?"

"It's nothing to do with this. Honestly Rossi." Morgan assured, taking a sip of the drink.

"I believe you. I'm just asking. May be there's something that she's said or done that will help."

"I've thought of nothing else since yesterday and I can't think of a damn thing."

"Ok. Forget that. Just tell me about it…. Friend to a friend."

Morgan glanced up to Rossi with the smallest of smirks, "You're not going to give me the…." He paused in thought for a second, "… The big brother talk are you?"

Rossi smiled, "Wise choice of words there Derek. If you'd of used _father_ and this conversation could have gone a whole other way."

A smile cracked across Morgan's face as Rossi continued, "So come on then. Tell me."

"Ok…. When she left…." Morgan began, shaking his head, the smile disappearing as he remembered, "… I just missed her… A lot. You know it felt like we'd just got her back and she left again."

"I know." Rossi agreed, having felt the same way too.

"So we met up a couple of times. Just the movies or dinner and one thing led to another and it turned into more."

"And now? You didn't sound like everything was a bed of roses yesterday when you spoke to the Detectives."

"I just didn't want to tell _them_ anything. But everything's good. I mean, it's a big deal for both of us, but I want this so bad I'm scared of screwing it up and I know how she feels about relationships. So we're just taking it slow."

Rossi nodded, "Yeah I can see waiting six years is rushing it a little." The older man said sarcastically.

Morgan chuckled, "Ok wise ass. I bow down to you superior dating knowledge. What should we be doing?"

"Depends." Rossi shrugged.

"On what?"

"On how you really feel. Are you happy?"

"I was twenty four hours ago."

"Well then keep doing what you're doing. But don't leave it too long before taking the next step. Believe me, life is too short."

Rossi watched as Morgan gave him a grateful smile, but then saw it fade away just as quickly.

"That could all be immaterial though, right?" Morgan stated.

"We'll figure this out. I'm sure of it…. So she has seemed fine lately?"

"Yeah she's been happy. She likes her new job. She's seeing Declan a lot and we've…. Well we've been having a really good time. I remember how she was when all that Doyle stuff was happening. She's been a million miles away from that person recently."

They were interrupted by a knock as the door, which opened before Rossi could invite the caller in.

"Guys, can you come to the briefing room please…." Hotch directed, "…..I have some information from the police."

~~CM~~

The three men entered the briefing room to join the rest of the team, Rossi and Morgan taking a seat at the round table, Hotch remaining standing. The Unit Chief felt the pressure of everyone looking at him, desperate for his leadership.

"Garcia, there should have been some reports sent to you regarding the Brazil killing. Can you bring them up please?" He asked.

The techie obliged and within a few seconds the first photo appeared on the large screen upon the wall.

Hotch stood and pointed to the image of the Hispanic looking male with a single gun shot wound to the head, laying in a pool of what they all assumed was his own blood. He was sprawled out on the concrete floor in the middle of a dirty, sweaty room surrounded by discarded paper money and a swarm of flies.

"This is Miguel Ferreira…" Hotch began, "….. a high ranking member of a splinter gang from the Comando Vermelho, an organised crime group that operates in many parts of Brazil. They run the usual stuff such a drugs and prostitution. This guy was killed by one bullet to the head and had thousands of dollars worth of drugs and cash stolen from him."

"And they think Emily did this…?" Morgan spat out, shaking his head in disbelief. "…How the hell did they come to that conclusion?"

"Well as you can imagine, nobody's coming forward to give the police any details officially, but an anonymous tip off gave her name."

"An anonymous tip off?" JJ almost scoffed.

"That screams of a set up. Is that all they got?" Morgan asked flippantly.

"No….." Hotch answered, "…..Intelligence suggests Castello's mob owe these guys a large amount of money for some drugs they had delivered into the United States. They never made it to Castello as they were intercepted by Customs. Castello won't pay up, but the Brazilians want their money."

"That doesn't make any sense…." Reid mused, "…Why would she kill someone from Castello's gang and then kill someone from the side they owed money to. It doesn't make sense at all. Have they got any forensics?"

The room fell silent for a few seconds and focused in on Rossi who let out a sarcastic breath from the back of his throat and then rubbed his eyes as if in pain.

"Rossi, you alright?" Hotch asked.

He took a deep breath and looked around at his team mates one by one.

"What's up man?" Morgan asked again.

"I hate to say this, but there _will be_ no forensics. I know a lot about these gangs and how they operate in South America. The police over there will not be looking for her in the interests of justice. They will be being paid to find her hand her over to that gang so she give back what they believe she stole or worse… so she can pay off the debt. She's in real trouble."

"But we don't even know she's over there." Garcia almost cried in hope and felt Morgan's stare boring into her out of the corner of her eye.

"Actually we do." Hotch said regretfully.

"What?" Morgan said, his eyes widening.

"Garcia, can you pull up the next file please." The Unit Chief asked, his voice already full of apology for what he was about to show them.

A black and white grainy security footage still appeared on the screen. It didn't take any focus to see Emily in the centre of it, stood in the middle of a crowded square.

"Play the clip Garcia." Hotch directed.

They all watched with sad, worried eyes as their former colleague limped through the crowds of people. She was clutching the side of her waist and frantically looking around her as if being chased. Her jeans and ripped tank top were splattered in something, but without colour, they could only assume it was blood. Her hair was a mess and there were bruises on her face and arms. She looked scared to death.

Morgan just wanted to jump into the screen and run after her…. they all did, but all they could do was watch as she attempted to run through the hustle and bustle of the square until eventually she was out of view of the camera.

"What the hell happened to her?" The dark profiler almost shouted.

"She looked really badly beaten." Garcia almost whispered, horrified at the state she had seen her friend in.

"I don't know…." Hotch stated, "….But it looked like she was getting away and there are no reports that she's been found yet. Hopefully she'll make her way back here."

"And what do we do now?" Reid asked.

Hotch shook his head, "Nothing. I will keep abreast of the investigation with the police. If there's something I think we can help with, I will ask them for permission to assist. We can't screw this one up."

"And you're happy they're doing all they can?" Rossi asked.

"At the moment. Yes I am…." He assured. "…..We just need to find out more about Castello. Then may be we'll have something we can work with."

"So what should we do?" JJ asked.

"Just get on with your work for now. I promise I will keep you updated."

This felt wrong to everyone, including Hotch. They should be working on this round the clock to help Emily, but if they stepped out of line, they knew they would be suspended on the spot and then they'd be of no use to her at all. They all reluctantly headed back to their work stations, praying for a breakthrough soon.

~~CM~~

Maxine Laudry stood at her kitchen counter adding the final touches to the gingerbread cookies she'd baked for her grandchildren who were due to come in a few hours.

"Ed….! Ed….!" She called out to her husband who was tidying up the garden, "…Can you get the phone please?"

"Sorry dear, I'm covered in dirt." He shouted back to her.

The dusky blond haired woman tutted under her breath, hastily wiping her hands of the cake mix and rushing to the phone.

"Hello?"

"_Hello. Is that Mrs Laudry?"_ The unfamiliar voice asked.

"Yes. Who is this please?"

"_You don't know me, but I'm a friend of your neighbour. Derek Morgan."_

A look of concern immediately crossed the woman's face, "Is Derek ok?"

"_Yes yes he's fine, but I need you to do something for me. It's really important." _The female voice at the end sounded desperate.

"Ok, go on." She agreed, somewhat suspiciously.

"_If I give you his cell number, can you call him and ask him to come to your house. I will call again at seven thirty tonight."_

Maxine now looked confused, "But why can't you call him yourself on his cell?"

"_Look, I know this sounds real strange, but I'm in trouble and I can't call him on his cell. Please, I'm begging you to help me."_

The woman could hear the pleading voice quivering with fear. She knew what Derek did for a living; she had looked after his place many times when he had been away on FBI business, so she guessed she could trust his judgement on this one.

"Ok, I will call him for you." She agreed.

A sigh of relief could be heard at the other end, _"Thank you so much. Have you got a pen and I'll give you his cell number."_

"It's ok. I've got it. He gave it to us for emergencies."

"_Ok."_

There was a pause of silence, Maxine unable to_ not_ be concerned for the girl on the other end of the line

"Are you going to be ok?" She asked.

"_I hope so…. I mean, yeah. I'll be ok."_

"Right. I'll call him now for you."

"_Ok…. And thanks again."_ The voice sounding genuinely grateful.

"Er… Wait a minute. You didn't tell me you name." Maxine asked hurriedly before the woman hung up.

There was a long silence at the other end….

"Hello, are you still there?" The older woman questioned.

"_Yes… sorry. My name is…. My name is Lauren."_

"Ok, I'll call him right away Lauren."

"_Thank you."_

Maxine replaced the handset and fumbled around the small table's drawer for the piece of paper Derek had given them three years ago when he moved in. They had yet to use it. She contemplated calling Ed first, but the fear in the woman's voice on the other end of the phone knocked that thought out of her head as quickly as it had appeared.

She keyed in the digits and listened to it ring out five times before he picked up.

"_Derek Morgan…"_

"Hi Derek. It's Maxine here from next door."

"_Maxine…?"_ He said in surprise, _"…Is everything ok?"_

"Yes…. I mean, no. I don't think so."

"_Maxine you're not making any sense. Is Ed ok?"_

"Yes. He's fine. I just had a very strange phone call from a woman who says she's your friend Lauren."

"_Lauren…. What?"_

Morgan's eyes widened and he took a sharp intake of breath as he heard _that_ name. He looked around the bull pen, bustling with activity and began to edge towards the doorway.

"Maxine, just give me one second." He said as he pushed the double glass doors open and found the nearest empty room.

"You still there Maxine?" He asked, closing the door behind him.

"_Yes."_

"You say Lauren rang you?"

"_She sounded scared Derek. She said she's in trouble."_

"What does she want me to do?"

"_She said it's not safe for her to ring you, so she asked if you could come here at seven thirty and she'd ring here again."_

"Ok. I'll be there…."

"_Derek, will everything be ok?"_ The woman's voice full of concern.

"Yes. I promise you won't get dragged into anything. You have my word." He assured.

"_Ok Derek. I'll see you later."_

~~CM~~

Morgan paced up and down the hallway at the Laudry's place, chewing his thumbnail. He'd been there since seven on the dot.

"You know you're going to wear a groove in my wooden floor there Derek. I just had it polished." Ed chuckled.

"Oh Sorry. I'll take my shoes off." Morgan said bending down.

"Hey I was joking…" The older man smiled, "…..Leave them on. Come and have a drink while you wait. Standing here isn't going to make her ring any quicker."

Morgan smiled back and began to follow the man, but just as he made it though the kitchen doorway, the phone rang out.

"You want me to get it?" Ed asked.

"Yeah, just in case it's not her." Morgan agreed.

He was one pace behind Ed the whole way to the phone, desperate to hear her voice.

"Hello?" The older man said into the handset.

"_Hello. This is Lauren. Is Derek there please?"_ The voice said, almost desperate.

"Yes. Yes he is. I'll just put him on…."

Ed handed the phone to Morgan, "Maxine and I will be out in the garden with the grandkids. You'll have complete privacy ok?"

"Thanks Ed." Morgan smiled, his palms already sweating on the plastic in anticipation.

As soon as he heard the back door slam shut, he put the receiver to his ear.

"Emily?" His tone was a mixture of hope and fear.

"_Derek..."_

He exhaled in relief at hearing her over familiar voice, but the words fell from his mouth before he could think, "Or should I say Lauren."

"_Sorry Derek. I know using that name is…. Well, it's pretty bad, but I had to make sure you knew it was me. I couldn't take the chance using my own name…. I've seen it all over the news."_

"I know. It doesn't matter….." He said softly, "….. Are you ok? I know you got hurt."

"_Yeah I'm ok. It's just cuts and bruises. But listen_, _Derek, you do know that I didn't kill this man don't you?"_

"Yes. I know that….. But you mean _men_." He corrected.

"_Men…? I don't understand."_

He could hear the confusion in her voice which threw him.

"Emily, you're wanted for _two_ murders." He emphasised.

"_What are you talking about?"_

"Shane Castello….. That name mean anything to you?"

There was a pause and it seemed to go on forever, "Emily?" Morgan called.

"_Yeah, sorry….. Shane Castello? As in the son of Harry Castello?"_

Morgan swallowed hard, everything becoming more and more cloudy as the seconds went by, "Yes. You know them?" He asked.

"_They think I killed him?"_

"Yes…" Morgan said a little impatiently, "….. Emily what the hell's going on?"

"_Why do they think I killed him?"_ She asked, ignoring his question once again.

"Because _your_ glock was the murder weapon." He informed her.

There was another pause as she thought. "Emily?" He raised his voice slightly.

"_Oh shit, I'm in so much trouble Derek."_ He could hear she had become more panicked in just a few seconds.

"May be if you hand yourself in we can sort all this out." He reasoned.

"_No way. Do you know what they do to women in prisons over here? They'll lock me up and ask questions later. That's if they put me in prison at all."_

"Tell me what's going on then and may be I can do something."

"_I'm trying to figure that out myself. I think I may have an idea, but I haven't got time to explain. I need money Derek. I've got nothing and I need to protect myself."_

"From who?"

"_The gang of the guy they think I killed. They're missing a whole lot of money and drugs and they think I've got it. They will kill me as soon as they see me….. Or worse."_

"Jesus Emily….." Morgan exhaled, not even wanting to think of what she meant _or worse_.

"_I know. It's a mess, but I just need some money. I can barely afford to eat."_

"Whatever you need I'll get it for you. I have money." He offered desperately.

"_No. They'll be monitoring you. Go and see my mother."_

"Your mother?"

"_Yes. She always has cash at her house and tell her not to tell anyone you have gone round. If she's difficult just tell her that I told you to mention Harry Castello's name to her."_

"What? I don't understand."

"_Please Derek… Just trust me. I haven't got time to explain, my money is about to run out."_

"When will you call me next?"

"_Tomorrow. I'll call at four o'clock. That should give you enough time."_

"Ok… Remember this number. I bought an unregistered cell. They can't trace this to me."

"_Ok, go on then."_

"It's 4158964752 …. That's 4158964752. Got it?"

"_Yeah…. I have to go now."_ She said hastily.

"Please be careful Emily. Don't do anything stupid." He almost begged.

"_I won't. I promise." _Her tone softened.

"And try and find somewhere I can call _you_."

"_I will…"_ He could hear her voice breaking at the other end as in a few seconds, she'd be all alone again.

"Ok….. " He paused, wanting desperately to say so much, "….Take care baby." He uttered softly.

"_I will. And Dere…."_

The last syllable of his name was cut off by the dead tone…


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks for the reviews guys… sorry I didn't get round to responding to all of them this time… Hope you enjoy this next chapter….**

He didn't think about anything other than jumping in his car as soon as the line went dead.

"Derek, is everything ok?" Maxine called as he was half way out of their front door.

He cursed himself for his lack of manners and turned back, "Oh sorry Maxine…. Not really, but I won't involve you anymore. Don't worry."

"Can we do anything to help?" Ed asked with an obvious sincerity.

"You already have. Thank you."

"Well you know where we are Derek." The older man assured.

"I do…" He smiled gratefully, "…. And thank you again. I really need to get going now though."

"Ok, take care." Maxine said softly.

~~CM~~

Driving up the long gravel driveway, he pulled up outside the heavy set wooden front door to the impressive, almost gothic looking house. Whenever Emily spoke of her mother, which Derek could probably count on two hands the whole time he had known her, she never spoke of the grandeur that surrounded the Ambassador. It was clearly something she was not impressed with, or wanted to admit to having grown up around.

He took a deep breath before jumping out of his SUV and trudging across the gravel and up the stone steps.

He guessed someone was already aware he was there from the number of security cameras he had passed and he had guessed right, as the door opened before he had chance to knock at it.

The woman that answered the door reminded him more than he remembered of her daughter. Her dark hair and contrasting pale skin, as vibrant and beautiful as Emily's. She looked at him as though a stranger, but just a split second later her eyes widened in recognition.

"Agent Morgan?" She half asked, half stated.

He nodded, "Ambassador Prentiss. I'm sorry for just turning up like this, but I need to speak with you urgently."

"I'm guessing this is about Emily." She stated with confidence.

"Yes."

She turned her body to the side, indicating for him to enter. He carefully slipped past her into the grand hallway; ornately decorated with artefacts he imagined were from all around the world.

As his eyes wondered around the busily covered walls, he didn't notice the small frame of the woman come to stand in front of him.

"Agent Morgan?" The ambassador said, grabbing his attention.

He looked down to her, "Sorry…"

"Have you found her?" She asked, with only the smallest hint of expectancy in her voice. He knew years of training would have meant her able to keep any emotions in check, but he couldn't help but let it unnerve him a little…. This was _her_ daughter they were talking about.

"No…." He shook his head regretfully, "…No we haven't."

"So how can I help?"

Morgan looked around, "Are we alone?" He asked.

Elizabeth Prentiss' expression changed to one of slight confusion, "Yes. Why?"

"I'm not here officially." He stated.

"Ok…." She nodded slowly, but gave nothing away of what she was thinking, "….. How about we continue this in the sitting room?"

"Sure." He agreed.

Morgan sat in the centre of the large sofa, tapping his foot on the dark wooden floor. He looked around the large room, cluttered with furniture, ornaments and paintings, barely a strip of wall uncovered. As full as the room was, it still felt somehow cold, not homely at all. He wondered if Emily ever lived here or if she grew up in places like this.

His train of thought was interrupted as he was handed a steaming hot cup of coffee.

"Thank you." He accepted.

"Ok Agent Morgan…" She started, sitting on the armchair opposite him, "….What exactly are you here for if not officially?" He voice rather stern, may be defensive.

"In short Ambassador…. Money." He said sharply.

"I beg your pardon?" Her attention fully on him now, scrutinising him.

"Emily needs money… Cash."

"You've spoken to her?" Her expression suddenly changed, eyes lighting up slightly.

"Yes."

"Where is she?"

Morgan could hear just a hint of worry in the woman's voice.

"I can't say. I'm sorry." He said regretfully.

The mask of sternness returned, "Agent Morgan, what is going on?" She asked firmly.

"Honestly, I don't really know. But I know that she didn't do what they said she did."

"You're sure?"

Morgan eyes flashed open wider at the woman's words and his brow furrowed, "You think your daughter's capable of murder?"

Her brow rose, "Is my daughter capable of killing someone? Yes…." She shrugged, "….. You all are with what you do for a living."

"But this is different." He argued defensively.

She stood up and began to pace the room, "To be honest, I am really unsure of exactly what it is she's supposed to have done. The police have been here, but they wouldn't tell me a thing. Just asked questions….. Much like you now."

"But _I _have her best interests at heart. They don't." He assured.

"And your team?"

He shook his head, "They don't know I'm here."

Her brow furrowed once again, "They don't….?" She folded her arms, "….So what is going on?"

"Look. It's better that you don't know." He bargained.

"So you just want me to hand over cash without knowing what it's for?"

Morgan stood up, but took a deep breath to calm the furore building inside of him, "It's for your daughter." He said between gritted teeth.

"Did she send you here?"

"Yes…." He nodded, "… I said I could give her the money but she said it would be traced if I got it out of the bank. She said you would have the cash."

"Really? What else did she say?"

Morgan contemplated not saying anything about Castello, but the intrigue was too much. He wanted to know…. He wanted clues….. He wanted answers.

"She told me to mention Harry Castello."

As the words fell out of his mouth, he saw the Ambassador's face immediately change to one of fear and panic. He watched as she scanned the floor with her eyes as she thought on her feet, "What else did she say about him?" She asked quickly, looking back up to the dark agent.

"Nothing….." He almost whispered, "…Who _is_ he?" He asked.

Shaking her head, he saw the relief now flow through her face, "That's between Emily and I."

"But may be if you tell me…."

Holding a hand up to him, she cut him off, "How much do you need?" She asked.

Morgan stood and looked at her. The determination on her face told him he would get nothing further from the woman tonight, but he also realised he did not have a clue how much to ask for. All he had thought about on the way over was what he was going to say to the Ambassador.

"Well?" She asked a little impatiently.

"A few thousand?"

She shook her head and dipped her eyebrows looking a little unimpressed, "Ok wait there." She directed, before turning and disappearing out of the door.

He sat back down, his body feeling tired and heavy, but before he could manage a relieved breath, his cell rang. He whipped it out of his pocket to see Garcia's name flashing across the screen.

"Hey Garcia."

"_Derek, where are you?"_

"I'm errr… I'm just out. What's up?"

"_I've been worried about you. You disappeared from Quantico without a word to anyone earlier."_

"Yeah sorry about that…." He rushed, "…. Listen, can you meet me tomorrow before work? At that café in Dale City."

"_Of course, but is everything ok?" _She asked with immediate worry.

"Yeah. Don't worry. I'll fill you in tomorrow…."

He paused, hearing footsteps approaching.

"Garcia, I've got to go. I'll see you tomorrow at seven thirty."

Before she could respond, he replaced the cell and stood as the dark haired woman walked back in carrying a large brown envelope, clearly stuffed with notes, folded in half.

"Here…." She offered, holding the item out to him. "…..There's ten thousand in there. You need any more, come back to me."

"Thank you….." He said genuinely, taking the package from her small hand. "…. I better get going."

She nodded and he turned away, beginning to walk towards the doorway.

"Agent Morgan." He heard her call out, halting him.

He turned and was surprised to see a very different Elizabeth Prentiss. One that looked full of regret and almost nervous,

"I do love my daughter you know?" She stressed softly.

He stared in to her dark, familiar eyes and nodded slowly in acknowledgement.

She took a small step towards him, "I know you probably think I'm some cold, heartless witch, but I do care about her very much." Her words now slightly broken and timid.

"I'm sure you do." He attempted to reassure.

She looked down at the ground, "I know I haven't been number one mother in the world, but I have only ever wanted the best for her. But I guess I wish I could go back and change some things."

"Mrs Prentiss…." He began, taking a step forward in order to emphasise his words, "…. Your daughter is an incredible woman. She's turned into a very beautiful, smart and kind person. You must have done something right."

A small, thankful smile crept across the woman's face, "I hope so."

Morgan just watched her, sensing that she wasn't finished,

"Will you tell her?" She asked, her words slightly broken.

"Tell her what?"

"Tell her that…." He could see her chest rising and falling a little heavier, "…. That I love her and…. And to stay safe."

"Of course." He uttered.

"She's lucky to have someone like you. You clearly care about her a lot and I assume you're risking a lot doing this."

He shrugged, "Yeah well, that doesn't matter. _She's_ all that matters."

He gave a small smile, turned and began to walk again toward the hallway.

"Bring her home safe Derek."

Hearing her say his first name felt strange, but good strange, as if it were some form of acceptance.

"That's what I intend doing." He assured, glancing back to the woman who suddenly looked so alone, no longer with defences all around her.

~~CM~~

Garcia hugged him hard as soon as she saw him at the café, sensing that whatever he was about to tell her was not good news.

She watched him stir the coffee. He just kept stirring and stirring avoiding her stare, his nervousness evident.

"Derek…" She said, placing her hand on his and removing the spoon from his hand and putting it on the table.

He looked at her with sorry eyes.

"Please tell me what's going on." She said softly.

"I spoke to Emily yesterday."

"What?" She almost shrieked.

"Don't worry. It can't be traced to me. We were careful."

She sat up, "Is she ok?"

"Physically, she said she is. But she's in real trouble out there."

"Did she tell you what was going on?"

"I think she's still trying to figure that out herself."

"So what's going to happen now?"

"I need you to do one last thing for me Penelope." He said his eyes boring into hers.

"What do you mean? O_ne last thing_?" She asked looking slightly horrified.

Morgan averted his gaze from the blond.

"Derek, what do you mean?" She said more forcefully.

"I need you to find me the best and quickest ID forger in Washington."

"What? Why?"

"Look. I don't want to drag anyone else into this. What I'm doing is risky and I could end up losing my job, if not worse, so I don't want to implicate you. The less I tell you the better."

"Derek, I don't care about that."

"Well I do." He insisted.

She stared at him, studying his face. She had known him for too long not to be able to read him like a book, "You're going to find her aren't you?" She asked, almost deflated.

"Yes."

"And she's ok with this?"

He shook his head, "She doesn't know yet."

"I don't want you to go out there." She said desperately.

"So you rather her be out there alone?"

Her eyes widened, and a hint of anger crossed them, "No of course not."

"Well just find me a name. That's all I need."

"But we can't just do nothing while you're gone." She stated, half pleading.

"I'll hide an envelope in my office explaining what I know. But don't look for it… I'll make contact when ready.…. And I'll make it clear the team knew nothing of what I was doing. What the police do with that is then up to them."

"Derek, I don't like this."

He leaned over the table and took hold of the blonde's hand hand, "Penelope…"

He started in that deep, reassuring tone, "….. I promise you I will be careful. But I need to keep her safe while you guys find out a way of clearing her."

"But how can we? We're not allowed to get involved and we don't know anything."

"I think Emily may have an idea of why this is happening. As soon as I know, I will contact you. Then may be we'll get a break….."

He squeezed her hand as he saw the tears begin to form.

"Don't you dare leave me Derek Morgan. You come home real soon….."

~~CM~~

Morgan paced up and down his kitchen, cell phone against his ear as it had been for the past five minutes. She had called bang on time…..

"I'm coming Emily. I'm not leaving you on your own." He repeated.

_"Derek…_." She protested.

"No. I'm coming. I'll be careful, I promise. How else do you expect me to get that amount of cash to you anyway?

_"I don't know. You could wire it to me?_" She suggested.

"What? Without people being suspicious of you? Plus, you've got no ID Emily. How would you get it?"

There was silence at the other end. She knew he was right…..

"Where are you staying?" He asked softly.

_"I'm in a small district east of the city. But when are you planning to come?"_

"The fake passports and ID will be ready first thing in the morning. I'm going to fly from North Carolina to Rio De Janeiro. It will take them longer to trace me that way. So with flights and driving to you from Rio, it will be the day after tomorrow. Probably quite late."

_"Ok….. I'm staying in Vila Oratorio. You'll see a high rise block of flats and opposite are some shops. I'm staying in a room above the grocery store. You can get to the front door round the side and up a small flight of stairs."_

"Are you going to be ok till then… for money I mean."

_"Yeah, I should be fine._" Her words were unconvincing and he felt the frustration in him grow.

"I'm sorry. I wish I could get there sooner Emily, but I have to make sure they can't trace me before I get to you. Once I'm with you, we can disappear until this mess is sorted out."

_"Derek you really don't have to do this. You're going to get into so much trouble."_

He let a breathy chuckle escape his lips, "I _really_ don't care….."

~~CM~~

Morgan had been driving for just over five hours when he finally saw the high rise Emily had described. As he had driven along the main roads, he had been surprised at how well looked after the streets and buildings were, somewhat different to the city remembered learning about in school. Trees lined the middle of the road where the main shopping area was and it looked like many other cities he had visited, but as he had gotten closer to the district she had directed him to, that all changed.

He parked the car two blocks away from her place and began the walk to the row of shops he'd just driven past to check it out first. After being in the air-conditioned car, the heat hit him like a thunderbolt and he could feel his body begin to sweat straight away.

He gripped his bag tightly, walking through the unfamiliar and unsettling dark streets. The group of teenagers eying him on the corner made him realise just how much he must have stood out with his clean clothes and hire car. A victim waiting to happen.

He held his head high and walked determinedly along the pavement, past the graffiti stained broken fencing, the bags of rotting trash and the junkie passed out on the corner until he made it to the shops. The stench from the meant shop filled his nostrils, but the rat scampering past his feet distracted him for a few seconds.

He took one last look around him to make sure he wasn't being following, then dipped down the side of the shabby looking building. He hopped up the rickety steel staircase, two steps at a time and paused as he made it to the top. Taking a deep breath as he stood in front of the door, he found his heart start to beat heavy against his chest.

He knocked hard, twice.

"Yeah?" Her familiar tone called from behind the door, immediately giving him a sense of relief.

"It's me." He said, but his words came out broken from the nervousness suddenly overtaking him.

He heard the lock and the door open slowly and the first thing he saw were the tips of her dishevelled fingers wrapped around the door.

When he realised the door was fully open, he slowly trailed his gaze from her hand up her torn, stained tank top that once was white, but no longer resembled anything close, up over her chest which was slicked with sweat and eventually to her bruised, face. Her eyes were big and sad…. Moisture forming as she stared at him.

He took a step forward, throwing his bag gently so it landed behind her and snaked his strong arms around her waist, pulling her into him and hugging her tightly.

He released his grip immediately though as she winced at his touch and looked at her with a frown, "What?"

She shook her head, "Nothing. It's ok." She uttered, closing the gap between them once again and replacing her body against his. This time he gently placed his arms around her shoulders, tenderly kissing her forehead.

"You've no idea how glad I am you're here…" She whispered, and he could feel her tears soaking into his T-shirt.

"There's no where else I'd be." He breathed into her, his face buried in her hair.

He held her in silence for a few seconds and she could feel that sinking, anxious feeling pouring out of her, being replaced by his strength.

He pulled her closer to him a little more before saying his next words, "Emily. Don't take this the wrong way, but you stink." He chuckled.

He heard a breathy laugh escape her lips as she pulled out of his embrace. She smiled sadly at him, and he placed the palm of his hand along her cheek, wiping away her tears with his thumb.

"Sorry…." She began, "…. I've got no other clothes and no matter how many times I wash these, I can't get the stench out."

"Hey…." He muttered leaning in toward her, "….. No sorries." He whispered, before placing a gentle kiss on her lips.

He felt her lips break into a smile, "What?" He asked.

"You like kissing smelly chicks?" She laughed gently.

"When the smelly chick's you…. yeah."

He brushed his hand down her raven, tangled hair, feeling sick seeing up close the purple and blue blemishes on her face, "What happened to you?" He whispered.

He watched as she rubbed her eyes then pinched the bridge of her nose, clearly drained of any energy.

"Hey you look exhausted. Why don't you grab a shower and get some sleep." He muttered, his voice gruff, but calming.

"Don't you want to talk….?" She asked, "…..I think I may have some idea of what's going on."

"You need some rest... It can wait till the morning."

She smiled gratefully and then turned to make for the bathroom.

A short while later she walked out of the steam filled room in just a towel and she found Morgan perched at the end of the bed, sorting through his bag. He looked up and smiled at her, her wet, straggly hair falling around her battered, but still beautiful face.

"I've got some clean clothes here you can put on…." He offered, holding out a T-shirt and joggers, "….I know they're too big for you, but better than nothing until we get you something new tomorrow."

"Thanks." She uttered, taking the clothing out of his hands and walking across to the other side of the room.

He saw her wince in pain again as she bent over.

"Emily?" He said, causing her to spin around and find him standing just a couple of paces in front of her.

"What?"

"Show me."

Her eyes widened and she wrapped her arms around her own waist, "Show you what?"

"What's happened to you. I know you're not ok…. So show me."

"Derek. It's fine." She lied and he could read her like a book.

Taking another couple of paces forward, he held out a hand in asking, "Emily…. show me." He whispered firmly.

He wasn't worried that she would be embarrassed of revealing herself. One thing he had learnt in the short months they had been together was that Emily Prentiss was not shy or lacking in confidence when it came to her body. She had scars, but they somehow made her more beautiful, even if the reason they were there never failed to incense him inside. The only thing Emily was afraid of revealing was her frailties, but she couldn't run from him here….

"Don't get mad." She mumbled, locking his eyes with hers.

He tutted and shook his head in frustration, "Emily…." He bargained.

"Ok…." She gave in.

She lifted her hands to the top of the towel folded against her chest. Slowly she pulled the ends apart and let it fall to the ground, but Morgan's stare didn't leave hers straight away. He looked at her so intently and she was beginning to think he may be scared to look down.

He was hesitating, but not because he was scared, but because he was still trying to figure out why she always did this. Why was she always so reluctant to admit something was wrong…..?

Eventually he let his gaze wander from her bruised face down her slender neck and over her chest. The familiar four leaf clover scar did not phase him; Not anymore anyway, but what came next he cold feel make his blood begin to boil. Half of her stomach was a deep shade of dark purple with black patches and tracks of perforated skin ran across her waist as if she had been clawed by some wild animal. Scabs had begun to form, but the wound still wept in places.

He took another step forward and saw her tense up. His eyes saddened at her.

Realising what she had done, she quickly moved toward him, "Sorry, I didn't mean to pull away, it's just I think I have a couple of broken ribs and it's agony and…."

"Emily, I won't hurt you…"

She forced as sorry smile, "I know." She whispered.

"We need to get you looked at. That looks bad."

She shook her head, "Where exactly? They know I'm hurt. They'll be checking hospitals."

"Have you not got any antiseptic?"

"With what….?" She shrugged, "…I had no money."

He placed his fingers on his eyes as they closed and rubbed hard shaking his head, "I'm sorry Emily, I…."

She gave a small smile once his gaze was back on her, "It's ok…" She whispered, "….I've kept it clean. It's not infected."

He just stared at her, his features softening at the vision of her. Remembering the first time he saw her in the flesh had almost shocked him…. In a good way. Her soft skin, perfect curves and beautiful lines, a contrast from the woman he worked with….. The woman who looked so strong, solid…. almost invincible.

But seeing her now, her tiny frame that had shrunk from lack of food in just a few days, scared him. He closed the gap and this time she did not move a muscle, staring into his eyes, letting him know she trusted him…. Entirely. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and gently pulled her into him.

Feeling her fragile body against his, her hip bones digging into him, he wondered how much more the woman in his arms could take before she broke. He just wanted to stay like that forever…. just like that… Wrap her up and never let anything hurt her again.

He ran his palm softly down the back of her wet tresses, before tenderly kissing her forehead, "Right… It's time you got some sleep." He whispered.

"But I need to tell you what I thinks' been going on." She said looking up at him.

"Ok…." He murmured, tucking a wayward piece of hair behind her ear, "…. Well how about you get into bed, I'll grab a shower and then you can tell me."

She nodded with a smile and broke away from him, heading towards the small, double bed.

"You want my T-shirt?" He asked, picking up the top he had given her.

"No. It's ok…" She said shaking her head, "…. It's way too hot to sleep in clothes. Believe me. You'll see."

"At least use it to cover that wound. You need to keep it clean."

"Ok…" She agreed, catching the shirt as he threw it.

She pulled back the single white sheet and carefully lowered herself on to the lumpy, thin mattress. She grimaced as she turned her body, pulling her legs up. He rushed forward to help her, holding out his hands, but by the time he got there, she was already propped up against the pillow.

"What?" She asked as he stared at her once again.

Instead of answering, he leant down and placed a solitary, warm kiss on her lips, "It's really good to see you Emily." He mumbled into her.

He felt a breathy laugh escape her lips, "You have no idea…." She smiled to him.

"I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere." He winked before leaving her for the bathroom.

~~CM~~

Ten minutes later he strolled into the main room, rubbing the back of his head with a small towel, "Gees Emily that shower is….."

He halted when he saw her fast asleep. She looked so peaceful and he smiled… that was the Emily he wanted to see. That carefree, contended look he had seen so many times in his bed, or hers over the past few weeks.

He so desperately wanted to wake her to find out exactly what had happened over the days they'd been apart and hear her theories as to why, but he guessed she hadn't gotten any proper sleep recently….. The dark circles under her eyes made it plain to see.

Instead, he finished drying himself off, dropped the towel on the floor and crept under the sheet next to her. The bed was so small, but it didn't really matter. They rarely filled up much more of half a bed.

He carefully edged his chest close to her skin that was already sticky from the humidity and placed one hand on her thigh. Laying his head on the pillow he exhaled a long relieved breath, himself exhausted from the travelling and lack of sleep since she had disappeared. He felt her shift around and nestle against his chest, reaching her lips up to meet his, "We need to talk." She mumbled sleepily.

"In the morning baby…." He whispered, pecking her lips lightly, "…. In the morning."

**_To be continued..._**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks for all the reviews as always… very much appreciated and keeps me going! Hope this chapter keeps you interested…. Enjoy :D**

~~CM~~

She lay on her back, slowly opening her heavy eyes. Breathing in deeply, the thick, humid air hit the back of her throat and as she exhaled, her lips formed into the smallest of contented smiles. She turned her head that was lay on the pillow and reached out for him, anticipating the warmth of his flesh on her fingertips. But all she was met with was the coarse fabric of the bed sheet.

She looked around the room and listened out for that familiar sound of him in the shower…. but there was nothing but the hum of the generator from the store below. Swallowing hard, she started to feel anxious butterflies in her tummy…. Had she dreamt he was there last night…..? But it had felt so real…. His gentle kiss on her lips, his warm breath on her forehead, his strong arms wrapped around her; his mere presence making her feel a little safer.

Suddenly feeling alone and deflated, she reluctantly edged herself up the bed so she was sitting against the wall and began to psych herself up for the day ahead. As she placed one hand on the pillow beside her to push herself up, she frowned and looked down hearing the rustle of paper.

Seeing the familiar writing of Derek, she quickly bought the note closer and read…..

_Won't be long. Just gone to pick up a few things. Get some rest beautiful. D xx_

She shook her head and laughed at herself, sinking back down on to the bed. A wave of relief flowed over her and closing her eyes, she easily managed to drift back off.

~~CM~~

Rossi strolled into the Unit Chief's office, just catching him remove the cell from his ear, shaking his head.

"Morning Aaron. Something wrong?"

Hotch let out somewhat of an annoyed sigh, "I tried calling Morgan. I'm getting no answer on his cell or house phone."

"You haven't heard from him since he called in sick yesterday morning?"

Hotch shook his head, looking at his friend with a frustrated stare.

The older profiler nodded knowingly, but with a hint of suspicion on his face.

"What?" Hotch asked.

"You didn't expect to hear from him. Did you?"

The dark haired man glanced from Rossi downward, shuffling some papers on his desk, "I don't think any of us believed he was off sick. Do you?" He muttered, almost under his breath.

"Nope….." Rossi answered, matter of factly, "….But you decided not to do anything about it until today." He stated.

"What are you suggesting Dave?" Hotch asked, looking his friend in the eye.

"That you're giving him a head start with whatever it is he's doing?" He mused with a raised brow.

Hotch shrugged, "Well, I can't keep this to myself for much longer. He knows that. As far as anyone needs to know, I gave him the benefit of the doubt yesterday. But I'm going to have to do something about it today."

"Morgan will have factored that in…." Rossi said casually, but with certainty, "….. He won't want anyone getting in trouble because of this."

"I know. I just hope he makes some sort of contact soon so we know what's going on." Hotch said, tucking a couple of files for allocation to the team under his arm

"You think he's gone to find her?" Rossi asked.

"That would be my best guess…." Hotch answered, then shook his head, "…..I just hope he knows what he's doing."

A breathy chuckle escaped Rossi's throat, "We both know Derek Morgan was never going to sit back and do nothing whilst she was out there alone, hurt and clearly in trouble."

"I know. And I want to help him. I really do. But we have to be careful Dave. The Police get a whiff that we're involved without authority, we'll all be suspended. Morgan knows that, which is why he didn't tell us anything. Whatever we do _has_ to be official."

Rossi nodded in agreement, "So what next?"

"Let's go and speak to the others….."

~~CM~~

Rossi entered the briefing room first, taking a seat in between JJ and Reid at the round table. Hotch followed, and taking his usual position, he scanned the room without any greeting.

"Anyone heard from Morgan this morning?" The Unit Chief asked, making sure he looked each Agent in the eye, confident he would be able to read them.

He was met by simultaneous shakes of the head from each member of his team.

"He must still be sick." Garcia then offered.

"I'm pretty sure none of you believe that any more than me…." Hotch started, "….. If any of you have heard from him, tell me know now and I promise it won't leave this room."

Everything remained silent and uncomfortable glances were exchanged between the Agents.

Hotch waited a few seconds, but then nodded in acceptance, believing it was perfectly reasonable to assume Morgan wouldn't have implicated anyone by involving them in his plans.

"Ok. I'm going to have to start looking for him. At the moment, as far as I'm concerned, I have a member of my team off sick who I cannot make contact with. Nothing more than that. JJ and Reid, you go to his house, see if everything is ok there. The rest of you back to work as normal." Hotch directed as he stood and then began to exit the room, leaving his team a little bewildered.

"Are you going to report him?" JJ asked, halting her boss before he could reach the door.

"At the moment, no….." He answered, turning back to face the blond, "….. But once his house has been checked, I have no choice."

The team mates looked at one another with unease, Rossi immediately sensing the tension.

"Guys, Morgan knows he will be reported. We have to do this the right way. If we get suspended, we'll be of no help to Emily or Derek."

JJ nodded in understanding, glancing towards the techie who looked as if she were about to be sick. She placed a warm palm over her friend's hand, "They'll be ok." She whispered.

Garcia forced a thankful smile before standing and shuffling out of the room.

"This isn't easy for any of us….." Hotch began, looking at Reid who had remained quiet throughout.

What Hotch wanted to continue with was, _'I feel pretty helpless right now too.'_ But of course he would keep that to himself.

~~CM~~

Derek closed the door as quietly as possible and placed the bags on the floor gently upon seeing her fast asleep. He knew she had awoken at some point as the note he had left on the pillow was now between her fingers, resting on her exposed stomach.

He tiptoed over to the bed and leant down, brushing a wayward piece of hair that had fallen cross her purple stained cheek.

She began to stir and a couple of tired, but smiling eyes began to appear.

"Morning…" He whispered, sitting down on the edge of the bed next to her.

"Morning…." She yawned back, "….Where did you go?" She asked sleepily.

"Well, I've been quite the errand boy; I got some food…. Need to fatten you up… " He winked, playfully prodding her uninjured side. "…And I got you some clothes…."

He picked up one of the bags and pulled out a pair of blue jeans and a T-shirt, "… Now I know I've probably got the size horribly wrong, but they'll do until we get out of here later and you can pick something yourself."

She sat up taking the garments from him and held up the red V necked, short sleeved top. He looked at her with an expectant raised brow.

"Well…." She said turning to him, "… I'd of gone for a lighter shade and it certainly is going to be tight…. But then again you may have done that on purpose."

The expectant expression turned to one of unimpressed annoyance.

"Hey I'm kidding…" She smiled, "… They look fine. In fact, I'm quite impressed. You really must have been paying attention."

He smirked, leaning down to pick up another one of the bags.

"So, what else did you do….?" She asked, "… you were gone ages."

"I went to the chemist…." He answered, holding up various items including antiseptic and bandages, earning a scrunched up face from Emily, which he ignored, "….and I changed the car."

"You did?"

"Yep. I abandoned the other one… It's just another way of them tracing us quicker. I hired a new one." He told her, holding up the set of keys.

"Oh, I never asked. You got some money from my mother then?"

He nodded, "Yeah. Ten grand."

Her eyebrows immediately arched in surprise, "Wow… That much? So you spoke to her then?"

"Of course."

"How did that go?" She cringed, anticipating the worse.

"Actually…" He shrugged, "….It wasn't too bad."

"Really?" The surprise in her voice causing him to laugh a little.

"Yes really…" He said leaning a little into her with wide eyes.

"What did she say?"

He paused, just staring, immediately seeing the little girl in her, still desperately yearning for that mother's approval every little girl craves. He reached over taking hold of her tiny hand and held it in his lap, "She asked me to tell you that she loves you and to stay safe." His voice deep and sincere.

"She said that?"

He smiled at her, "Yes…." He emphasised, before drawing her hand up to his mouth and kissing the back gently, "…. Now it's time to eat this…" He told her, grabbing the spoils from his errand run, placing a couple of pastries in her lap and a Styrofoam coffee cup on the bed side table, "… then shower and change so we can get out of here."

"Yes sir." She laughed, giving him a mocking salute.

~~CM~~

As she walked out of the bathroom in just her towel, she caught Derek's eye, who quickly went on to pat the bed where he sat, "Come here." He beckoned.

She eyed the bandages and antiseptic lay out to his side and let out a sigh, not revelling in the treatment about to become her.

She did as she was told however and carefully sat down in front of him, allowing the towel to fall off, surrounding her on the bed.

He stared once again at the mess that was her torso and his brow furrowed as a natural reaction in frustration.

"Are you just going to stare all day?" She asked playfully.

He looked her in the eye and smiled, "Sorry." He muttered, taking hold of the antiseptic and pouring some on to the cotton wool.

"Ok, this is going to sting." He told her, shuffling a little closer.

She closed her eyes as he gently brushed the cold liquid over her wounds.

He glanced up to see her wincing just a little, trying as always to hide the pain she was in.

"Emily…" He uttered, her eyes opening to meet his, "…tell me what happened."

She swallowed hard before exhaling, "I don't know where to start." Her words suddenly slightly broken.

"At the beginning… just start at the beginning." He guided, his tone gentle.

"Ok….." She breathed in hard, "… When I left your place on Tuesday morning I went to the coffee shop as I always do before work…

_She sauntered along the sidewalk towards where she'd parked her car, daydreaming about her previous evening with Derek. After a long day at work she'd gotten to his place and before she had even made it through the front door, he'd taken hold of her hand and led her to his bathroom. The lights were off, but the room glowed and flickered from the candles burning around the edge of the tub that was full to the brim with bubbles. He stood behind her and kissed her neck as he slowly began to remove each piece of clothing until, before she knew it, she could feel the steam caressing her naked skin. _

_She smiled to herself thinking of how it hadn't taken much persuasion to get him to join her….._

_She was pulled out of her memory hearing a woman's screams emanating from the alleyway she was just passing by. Dropping the cup of coffee, she reached down and pulled the small glock from her ankle holster, raising it in front of her and dipping into the opening between the two tall buildings._

_She paced slowly along the brick lined alleyway, the screams having disappeared, but replaced by weak whimpers. As she got closer to the source of the timid cries, everything went black as she was forcefully pulled backwards by one hand over her eyes and one over her mouth. She felt her body rise as her legs were elevated, but as she writhed and wriggled, more hands gripped hold of her tightly. Her body swayed and bounced as they carried her a short distance and from the lack of cool breeze now upon her and echoes all around, she guessed she was now in the back of a van. As the hand was removed from her eyes, it took a couple of seconds for her vision to adjust to the darkness and her hands were roughly pulled back and tied behind her. She just about managed to see a masked man lunge forward toward her with a syringe, headed straight for her neck. She attempted to throw her body sidewards to avoid the needle, but she was gripped from behind and held in place as she felt the sharp point pierce her skin. The pain only lasted a few seconds however, and then all was gone._

"They took you in broad day light? That was risky." Derek stated, gently rubbing cream into her perforated skin with his fingertips.

"Yeah it was, but they obviously knew my routine. Something one of them said later leads me to think they wanted to take me the night before from my place, but I was with you so I guess they had to rethink. They were definitely on a time limit."

"So where did they take you?"

"Well I was knocked out for the journey and the next thing I knew I woke up in some dirty flat. It wasn't far from whatever airfield it was we flew from."

"Airfield?" He questioned.

"They flew me here in a private jet…." She lightly chuckled sarcastically, "….No expense spared."

She watched as he shook his head, looking downward, "So it wasn't you at the airport…." He mumbled, "…I knew it." He muttered to himself.

"At the airport? What are you talking about?"

"Someone dressed up to look like you, using your name, flew from DC airport to Sao Paulo. I saw the security footage and I knew it wasn't you. I just couldn't prove it."

"So you guys have been working on this?" She asked expectantly.

He looked at her with sorry eyes and shook his head, "No. They wouldn't let us. After the Doyle stuff…." He paused, "…..Well, I guess they don't trust us."

"Oh…" She uttered, looking down.

"Hey…" He said, placing a finger under her chin, guiding her face upward to look back at his,"…I'm working on that. I just don't want to get anyone into trouble."

"None of them know you're here?"

"They've probably figured it out by now, but the only person I told I was leaving was Garcia and even then I didn't tell her enough to implicate her."

"We're really on our own aren't we?" She suddenly looked pale.

"At the moment yeah, but we'll figure it out…. I promise." He uttered.

She smiled thankfully and shifted her body around as he indicated her to do so he could tend to the wounds on her back.

"So, you were in this flat…." He started, encouraging her to continue…

_As she awoke, she couldn't open her eyes. All her concentration went on trying to focus her mind. Her head was heavy… pounding… swirling. She exhaled long, slow breaths trying to calm herself from that feeling of having no control….. No perception of her surroundings; _

_Her fingertips were like icicles, but her body was sweating. She felt so hot that she could happily remove all of her clothes no matter where she was or who was there. But of course this was an impossibility with her hands still shackled behind her back. _

_Eventually she lay her head against the wall she was sat up against and steadied herself before summoning up the nerve to open her eyes. As she did, the sun streaming in to the room blinded her and all she could see was bight white light. As her vision began to adapt, she could see the outline of something, but it was all a blur and she had to shut her eyes once more feeling more and more dizzy._

_A breath caught in her throat as, although her hearing was muffled, she heard something in the room with her. All of a sudden she felt a presence in front of her and her eyes flew open as her heart began to beat faster and harder. Her senses beginning to kick into survival mode meant her vision was less blurred this time. _

_She started to focus on the man stood up in front of her._

"_Wake up." He ordered, is voice low and foreign._

_She just stared at him, trying to make sense of her surroundings, but before she could mutter a word she had to gasp for air as she felt ice cold water crash all over her, head first, and into her lungs. _

"_Wake up!" The unfamiliar voice shouted this time, kicking her thigh with the tip of his boot._

_As she spluttered, trying to expel the liquid from her mouth, she looked upward once again to see the man's face was covered in a black ski mask. Her attention was then quickly drawn to the side arm attached to his belt._

"_Who are you?" She mumbled, her words leaving her lips in a far more feeble tone than she had intended, the drugs still dominating her body._

"_You don't need to worry about who I am." _

_The masked man's voice was stern, his words slow and the all too familiar Irish accent sent a chill down her spine….. It couldn't be…. Her gaze immediately made for the stranger's wrist and she felt her stomach turn, spying the four leaf clover tattooed on his wrist._

_All of these months feeling that she was finally free, physically at least, of the hell Doyle had bought into her life, was gone in that split second. _

_Her breaths were shallow and quick as her heart raced and she felt her world begin to crash all around her as she had done the day Sean McAllister had told her Doyle had escaped. But this time, all the energy she thought she had, was sucked out of her in one foul swoop upon seeing the ugly symbol etched on the man's wrist._

"_You want to avenge Doyle's death….?" She sarcastically snorted, trying her best to show no fear, "….then do me a favour and just kill me. Let's not bother with all the silly games." She said defiantly._

_She jumped however, as the man bolted forward and crouched down, grabbing her round the neck and pushing her head backward against the cold brick. She scrunched her face in pain as he squeezed her neck tight, "I don't give a fuck about Doyle…" He began, and she could feel his hot breath against her face as he almost spat out his words, "… In fact, if that son of a bitch were alive and here right now, I'd quite happily put a bullet between his eyes myself."_

"_I don't understand." She stuttered, her words stifled by the pressure on her neck._

"_You're no good to us dead….." He stated, ignoring her, "….. We will keep you very much alive so we can get what we're owed."_

"_What you're owed?" She questioned._

"_What Doyle did cost us big time and we want reimbursement."_

"_You want money?" She asked._

_But he did not answer. Instead, her head flew sidewards as the back of his hand cracked across her cheek._

_She gritted her teeth and shut her eyes tight trying to subdue some of the searing pain and she felt the warmth of her blood begin to form in her mouth and trickle down her chin…._

"_Although…." The man said standing up with a hint of humour in his voice, "….You are going to wish you were dead, rotting in hell with Doyle when we finish with you…."_

"This is to do with Doyle…..?" Morgan said with complete disbelief, "….What do they mean they want reimbursement?"

He watched her shoulders shrug as he sat behind her, finishing off applying the cream to the last part of her injury.

"I don't know…." She started sadly and full of thought, "…. I really thought I'd begun to live my life with him not being a part of it, but it feels like I'm never gonna escape him."

"Hey…." He whispered, lightly tugging at her shoulder indicating for her to turn around, "….You will. We just need to figure what the hell is going on and let the others know….." He offered as her gaze met his…..

~~CM~~

"His car's on the driveway JJ." Reid said hopefully, as they pulled up along the sidewalk.

JJ glanced over, putting the SUV in to park, "I don't think that means anything Spence. You know as well as I do he's not going to be here." JJ reasoned with the young doctor, trying to subdue his hopes.

"Why did he just go and not tell anyone?" Reid mused to himself out loud.

"Because he knows we'd try and talk him out of it and he'd be putting us in an impossible position….." JJ undid her belt and reached for the door handle, "C'mon. Let's go and check it out."

After knocking at the door for a few minutes, JJ shrugged towards Reid, "I guess that's it then. He's not here."

He looked at her with a furrowed brow, "Don't you think we should go inside? He could be in there and hurt."

"True…..." She conceded, "….But we don't have a key."

"Let's try the neighbours" Reid said, wandering off down the drive way before JJ could respond.

The blond flashed her badge as the woman, whom she guessed was in her fifties, opened the door.

"Ma'am. We're sorry to bother you. I'm Agent Jennifer Jareau from the FBI and this is Dr Reid. We work with your neighbour, Derek Morgan."

The woman's smiling face changed immediately to one of concern, a change completely unexpected with the little JJ had said.

"We were just wondering if you had a spare key for his property." Reid continued, leaving JJ a little annoyed that he hadn't let her continue.

"I do, but I don't know if I should…." Her words trailed off, "….Could you just wait there a minute. I'm just going to get my husband."

As the door shut to, JJ turned to Reid, "You can't just ask for the key like that." She scolded.

"Why not?"

"They're going to want to know why."

Reid nudged her as the door reopened, this time the woman's husband stood by her side.

"Morning Agents. My name is Ed and this is my wife Maxine…" He said holding out his hand to shake both of the profilers' hands. "…how can we help you?"

"We work with Derek…." JJ started, "…. We're a bit worried about him and we wanted to make sure he wasn't hurt or anything like that. We just wondered if you had a key to his place."

"We do have a key, but why are you worried about him?" The older man asked.

"It's not really something we can go into, but I can assure you, we are his friends as well as his colleagues."

JJ and Reid watched as the couple look to one another, with obvious worried and nervous glances between them. There was something not quite right.

"When was the last time you saw Derek?" Reid asked, sensing the tension.

"We…." Ed started, but halted upon feeling his wife's hand on his forearm.

He turned to her, "We need to tell them. He could be in trouble."

"Tell us what?" JJ asked.

"The last time we saw him was a couple of days ago. Someone called here to speak with him. She was obviously in trouble."

"Called here…?" Reid started, "….Did he say what her name was?"

"No…" Maxine answered, "…_She_ did. She told me her name was Lauren."

JJ and Reid looked to one another, wide eyed.

"That's all we know I'm afraid….." Ed continued from his wife, "….But I'm guessing that name means something to you. I'll just get you Derek's key."

"Is he going to be in trouble?" The woman asked, with an obvious concern and worry for her neighbour.

"We will do everything to make sure he isn't'." JJ attempted to reassure.

~~CM~~

JJ stood over the dining table staring at Morgan's cell, passport and keys lay out in a line as Reid walked in to the room.

"JJ. There's no toothbrush in his bathroom and it looks like other things are missing too. It does look like he packed for a trip." He informed, joining her and following her stare upon the table.

"I guess he's telling us not to bother trying to find him under his own identity." JJ mused, looking over to the Doctor biting down lightly on her bottom lip.

Reid took a deep breath picking up his friend's cell, "I suppose we better let Hotch know then." He sighed, somewhat deflated.

This had just confirmed what they had all feared. They were now going to be fighting to save two of their friends, not just one. But as fearful as they were, part of them was glad Emily wouldn't be alone…

**To be continued…**


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry for how long it took me to update…. My muse ran away for a few days. But she came back ;)**

"This is to do with Doyle…..?" Morgan said with complete disbelief, "….What do they mean they want reimbursement?"

He watched her shoulders shrug as he sat behind her, finishing off applying the cream to the last part of her injury.

"I don't know…." She started sadly and full of thought, "…. I really thought I'd begun to live my life with him not being a part of it, but it feels like I'm never gonna escape him."

"Hey…." He whispered, lightly tugging at her shoulder indicating for her to turn around, "….You will. We just need to figure what the hell is going on and let the others know….." He offered as her gaze met his…..

"You think the others will be able to help?" She asked with hope in her big dark orbs.

"Well, from what I can see…. you have some pieces of the jigsaw and they have some. We just need to get yours to them and then let them work their magic." He muttered in that deep, calming tone, followed by a wink which made her smile at him.

It seemed so simple. His words were so convincing. And at that moment, she couldn't help but feel everything was going to be alright. She would allow herself to believe in his assurances for as long as she could. It would wash away, she was sure, but she would try…

She felt the bed shift as he began to rise, "Stand up." He directed, taking hold of her hand to guide her upwards.

Slowly rising from the bed, she pulled the towel that was resting on her lap, up around her waist, expecting him next to go for the bandages that were lay upon the bed.

Instead he began to move across the room, "Wait just a second." He said to her, crouching down and rummaging around in his holdall.

"Here it is…" He mumbled to himself, then standing and holding out a digital camera.

She looked at him with confusion, "What? We're going sight seeing?" She scoffed dryly.

"No…." He chuckled, "….We need evidence to prove you didn't kill those men and part of that evidence is what happened to _you._ You…." He continued, nodding toward her body, "….are covered in evidence."

She looked down at her mess of a stomach, then back up to him with a frown, "So you wanna take naked pictures of me?"

He rolled his eyes sarcastically, "No…" He insisted, shaking his head with an unimpressed frown, "…. If you don't trust me to protect your modesty, I made an attempt at buying you some underwear. It's in that bag over there." He told her, pointing to the small plastic bag, sat at the base of the bed.

She smirked, "Let's have a look then."

He held his hand up in front of him, "Can I just say that it's not the kind of underwear I'd like to be buying for you. It's…." He paused, looking up to the ceiling in thought, "…practical." He mused, before stooping down for the bag and handing it to her.

She peeked inside and went on to pull out a cream cotton bra by the straps. It had the smallest of lace detail around the top edge and dangling it up in front of her face, she inspected the garment and concluded that it was probably two sizes too big; "I think this may be wishful thinking." She uttered sarcastically in his direction, only managing to hold his 'who me' gaze for a couple of seconds, before her lips broke into a smirk.

Allowing the bra to fall on to the bed, she removed the matching panties from the bag and manoeuvred them on underneath the towel, which she then slipped from around her waist and placed on the bed.

"Come on then. Do your thing." She sighed, suddenly feeling a little silly, stood practically naked waiting to be photographed covered head to toe in garish purple and black bruises.

After quickly getting the snaps he needed, he reached for the bandages and indicated for her to hold her arms up so he could begin covering her wounds and supporting her broken ribs.

"This may hurt just a little Emily." He said gently as he carefully placed one end of the bandage on her stomach. He began slowly wrapping the fabric around her small frame.

"So, you wanna tell me what happened next?" He asked, taking care not to pull too tight, but tight enough to give support.

She shrugged, "Well, I guess I did something a little bit stupid next…."

_She wasn't sure what time it was, but it was beginning to go dark outside the damp, rancid flat they were in. She guessed it was about seven in the evening and by her reckoning, she had remained on the concrete floor for about nine or ten hours now. Luckily the incessant shivering had subsided as she had dried out completely, but the cold from the hard floor still seeped throughout her body and her eyes stung from the thick cigarette smoke that filled the room. Only one masked man remained with her most of the time and he sat at the other side of the room at a table, studying some documents. No one had spoken to her for hours, even when she tried to engage anyone that entered the room in some sort of conversation to get clues, they just ignored her. It had worked to her advantage to a degree though…. when she was happy the masked man couldn't see, she had been filing the ties that bound her wrists along the roughest part of the radiator piping she was sat against. _

_A second masked man entered the room for the fourth of fifth time. He was slightly shorter than the first and definitely not as well built. He was however, in charge she deduced or at least more superior to the goon sat at the table. _

"_Have you got it?" The leader asked._

_The other man stood up reaching into a cupboard above his head and pulled out something covered in a dirty rag. _

"_Let me see." The smaller man ordered._

_The gofer carefully unfolded the rag to reveal what Emily immediately recognised to be her own glock that she had been carrying when they had taken her. Her heart began to race a little harder, wondering if it was meant for her, but that feeling lasted only a few seconds upon seeing the smaller man take it and wrap it back up._

"_We're going to do it now." The second man uttered._

"_He's there?"_

"_Yes. They just called to tell me he arrived."_

"_Well good luck." _

_The man nodded, "Have her ready to go in two hours." He directed._

"_Yes boss."_

_Emily strained to hear the conversation and she did manage to hear it all, but could make no sense of it. The only thing she could think was that with some of her captors gone, this was her chance. She rubbed harder and harder at her binds and about ten minutes later her hands were free._

_She breathed slow, hard and deep, steadying herself, just waiting for the right time. He glanced back at her, just as he did every few minutes and then returned his attention to the table in front of him. As quietly as she could, she stood up and reached for the heavy set ashtray she had eyed on the shelving just a few feet away from her. _

_As she took one step towards him, she saw his shoulders judder in subtle laughter, and it was at that point that she realised just what had been occupying him… A comic strip._

_In normal circumstances she'd roll her eyes and contemplate how pathetic the man in front of her was, but on this occasion there was no time. _

_All of a sudden she realised he had sensed something was up. Before she had time to think she lunged forward, the corner of the cold, hard metal ashtray aimed for the back of his head. She caught him on the cheek full force as he turned his head and she heard the crack of his bone. As he gripped hold of his face, snarling in pain, she made for the door._

_Her sweat drenched palm slipped over the rounded door knob and she was unable to get a grip of it. She glanced back at the dazed man as she frantically wiped her hand on her pants. She tried the handle again and this time is worked. Pulling the door open towards her she found herself rushing into another room. Manoeuvring around the dirty matress in the centre of the room, she ran for the door at the other end. She attempted to quicken her pace upon hearing heavy steps behind her, but just as she was about to lunge for the next door handle she felt strong hands grip her hips. _

"_No you fucking don't." He growled at her._

_She pulled her frame away from him and kicked as hard as she could. She wasn't sure what part of his body she connected with, but she heard him yelp once again and release his grasp of her._

_This door opened outward and she dashed through the frame, but as she made it to the other side, his hands were around her waist. He was ready for the kick this time and ducked out of the way as her foot went flying backward. She pulled away from him with all of her strength, but she screamed as his nails raked along her skin, not releasing his grip. He pulled her small body into his and then dragged her back into the room, throwing her on her back on to the thin, dirty mattress which sat a few inches off the ground._

"_Don't…." He shouted, the tip of his boot connecting with her stomach full force, _

"…_.think…" _

_This time it hit the side of her rib cage, _

"…_.of…" _

_Back to her stomach, _

"…_.doing anything like that again!"_

_He stood over her, watching her curl into a ball in pain and to protect herself. His breaths were heavy with rage and his face folded into an angry cringe. He leant down, grabbing her wrists and yanking her arms above her head roughly. She cried out in pain as his strong fingers crushed her tiny wrist bones and her body stretched out in reflex to her arms being levered above her head. _

_His placed his face just a couple of inches above hers, "You're never gonna learn are you?" He spat at her, his stinking breath blowing in her face._

_Her breaths were shallow and quick, but the edges of her mouth curled upward, "Learn what? To stop taking on the big boys….? I think you're forgetting that I beat the last one, didn't I?" She chuckled defiantly._

_His lips pursed and his fingers squeezed tighter around her bones and she couldn't help but wince in pain._

_He moved in a little closer, "When you see what we got planned for you, you'll see you're never gonna win this one." He snarled through gritted teeth._

_She heard the crack before she felt the searing pain. He left his clenched fist that he had drilled into her, on her broken ribs for a few seconds, to let the shock reverberate through her for just a little longer._

_Smiling as he enjoyed the sounds of pain falling from her lips, he dragged her half limp body back to the radiator she had been propped up against before, and roughly tied her hands to it. _

_She hung her head, knowing she was beaten this time….. But she didn't want him to see the tears forming in her eyes…_

Morgan's brow was furrowed as he listened to her words and he paused momentarily, staring at the deep tracks left on her stomach by the masked man, before covering them up with the last of the bandages.

He let his gaze meet hers as he secured the end of the material and she saw the mixture of anger and sadness in her eyes.

"Hey, it's just broken bones, scratches and bruises. It'll heal." She said with a small, gentle smile.

"I know…" He nodded, "…But why do it? Why go that far? I mean what was he trying to prove beating up a woman half his size."

"You know why. It's a power thing. There're plenty of guys like that out there." She bargained, leaning down and slipping her arms through the straps of the cream bra.

She turned and without needing to be told, he dutifully did up the clasp, knowing it would be too painful for her to reach behind and do it herself.

He then let his palms lightly touch the tops of her arms and gently kissed the beautifully pale flesh at the side of her neck, "I'm sorry you had to go through that again." He mumbled into her soft skin.

She placed her hand upon his, "I know you are." She whispered.

~~CM~~

Rossi caught up with JJ and Reid as they were about to enter Hotch's office.

"You got anything?" The older profiler asked, stopping them.

JJ nodded, before continuing through the door, Reid and Rossi following on behind.

Hotch looked up from his paperwork and placed his pen gently down on the desk, reading JJ's face immediately.

"He wasn't there." The Unit Chief stated.

"No…" the blond started, shaking her head, "….but that's not it."

Hotch's eyebrow dipped, "Go on."

"We spoke to Morgan's neighbours. Emily contacted him through them."

Rossi shook his head with a small chuckle.

"What?" Reid asked

"We should have known she'd find a way." He answered.

"Yeah but why didn't Morgan tell us so we could help?" The young doctor said with frustration.

"Because she told him not to….." Hotch stated. "… Because she knows she can't afford to be traced before her innocence is proven." He continued.

"If Morgan thought we could have helped when he spoke to her, he would have told us. He _will_ be in contact." Rossi assured.

They all turned hearing someone shuffling into the room.

"Sir…." Garcia murmured, her voice timid and her eyes on her friends with tears welling.

Hotch stood, "What do you know Garcia?"  
>"I'm sorry sir." She said shaking her head.<p>

Rossi took a few steps towards her, "Anything you can tell us, will help them." He uttered gently.

"Not much…" She started, "…. But the day we were told she had gone to Brazil, we checked the security footage at the airport. Morgan was certain the woman checking in as Emily was not her."

"So why didn't he tell us?" Reid asked.

"Because he said he couldn't prove it."

"Ok. What else?" Hotch asked.

She looked around the room with apologetic eyes, her breath almost caught in her throat, "The day before he left he told me he'd heard from Emily and that she was in real trouble out there…." She said hastily.

"Go on." Rossi encouraged.

"He asked me to find him the best and quickest ID forger. I guessed he was going to find her, but he wouldn't tell me anything else or let me get involved in any other way."

"Did she tell him what had happened?" JJ asked.

"I don't know. All he said was that she had an idea of why it was happening."

"And that's it?" Hotch asked firmly.

Garcia nodded, "That's it. I promise….." She said taking a few steps forwards, standing next to JJ, "…Are you going to report me Sir?"

Hotch stared at her for a few seconds and she felt JJ's tiny hand encircle hers, squeezing tightly.

Eventually, the Unit Chief shook his head, "No. There's nothing to report really. But I have to flag up that he has disappeared."

"What do you think they'll do?" JJ asked.

"Well I'm hoping if I go to them with what we've got, they'll trust us enough to let us continue helping. I just hope Morgan gets in contact soon so we have something to go on. At the moment we've really got very little."

"He will be….." Rossi said with certainty.

"There is something else I really want to know Garcia." Hotch asked sternly, looking at her with one eyebrow raised.

"What?" She asked, looking even more scared than when she had walked in.

"How long did you know about their….. _thing_." The Unit Chief added, the tiniest of smirks forming.

Garcia let out a relieved chuckle, "Au contraire Sir…. I knew nothing. And believe me, when they get back here, I'm attaching permanent lie detectors and GPS tracking to them. I can't believe they kept that from us."

"Well if they're as good at running and hiding from the law as they are at fooling a team full of profilers, they'll be fine." Rossi smiled.

Everyone couldn't help but smile too, but they lasted only a few seconds until they remembered where their friends were right now and what they were really up against. Right now, they'd forgive them anything just to have them back.

~~CM~~

"You said my glock was used to kill Shane Castello…" Emily stated, glancing back to him.

She felt his grip on her arms tighten and then fall away."….. That's where they went that night….." She added, turning fully to meet his stare, "…..Tell me what happened to him."

Morgan looked at her tiny frame and knew she had completely forgotten she was stood there in nothing but a bit of cream cotton. He picked up the jeans and T-shirt he had gotten her, handed them to her and took a seat back on the bed.

He took a deep breath before beginning, "He was killed by a single bullet from your glock in Hogan's Bar, downtown."

"And that's the only evidence?" She asked, carefully slipping the jeans up her legs.

Morgan shrugged, "The only evidence they told us about. And I guess the fact that they believe you flew out of the country just a few hours later."

"Did anyone speak to Harry Castello?" She said, manoeuvring the T-Shirt over her head.

"We didn't. Obviously the cops will have, but I told you, they wouldn't let us get involved.

"Oh…" She whispered, looking a little lost in thought, taking a seat next to him.

"So are you going to tell me who the hell this Harry Castello is to you?" He asked, watching her intently for any reaction he could attempt to read.

"I'd like to know too." She said smiling to him.

"What? I don't understand."

She shifted her body round to face him, "When I was fourteen, we were back in Washington after being away in Italy for six months. My mother had a number of engagements there and I got dragged along to the _family_ ones with my father too. At one of them, my mother was giving a speech. It was outside in some public memorial gardens. I was bored and I really didn't want to be there, so I went and sat at the back behind a tree smoking a cigarette in protest…"

Morgan looked at her with a raised brow, "Emily Prentiss, you naughty girl." He chuckled.

She laughed back, "It was my way of rebelling, even though she couldn't see me."

He shook his head with a smirk and then nodded for her to continue.

"_That's really not good for you." An unfamiliar male voice scolded from behind her._

_She didn't move though, just took another defiant drag of the cigarette, staring out into the mass of trees._

_The tall, dark haired man came to stand in front of her, towering above._

_He chuckled, "You're not even going to stop?"_

"_Nope." She answered, glancing at the stranger for a split second, then continuing to look ahead._

"_Feisty little thing eh? You think your mother would approve?"_

_She stared up at him with a look of disdain, "I really don't care what my mother thinks."_

"_Oh ok." He laughed._

"_Who are you anyway?" She asked, curiosity getting the better of her._

"_Oh, just an old friend of your mother's"_

"_Really…?" She rolled off the tongue dryly. "…. Lucky you." The sarcasm screaming out at him_

_The man just smiled at her and she went to look away from him, but something stopped her. Something was familiar._

"_You got a name?" She asked, squinting up at him, the sun catching her eyes._

"_Harry…." He began, holding out a hand to her, "….Harry Castello." _

_She took his hand, examining his face intently, but before she could ask anything else, the sound of her father's voice caused her to scramble to her feet, chucking the cigarette end behind her._

"_Emily have you been smoki…" Robert Prentiss words were cut short upon seeing the man his daughter was talking to._

"_No. It was me smoking. I really should quit." Harry Castello smiled._

_Emily watched her father's face turn to fury, "What the hell are you doing here?"_

"_Dad?" She uttered, but she was ignored._

"_Get away from my daughter now." He ordered, his voice low but stern._

_The dark haired man held his hands in front of him in surrender, "Hey, we were just talking. You have a beautiful daughter….." He turned to look at Emily, "…It was nice meeting you." He added before glancing back to Robert Prentiss with a smirk and then turning and walking away._

"_Dad, what's wrong?"_

_Her father took hold of her wrist and pulled her alongside him, "Never speak to that man again."_

"_But why? Dad what's wrong?" She asked, scurrying to keep up with her father's fast pace._

_But he did not answer._

_That night after a silent, tense drive home, Emily sat in her bedroom, music blasting in an attempt to drown out the sounds of her parents shouting at each other. She lay on her bed staring at the ceiling, picturing the mysterious stranger she had met earlier….. Only he wasn't a stranger. She remembered him. She knew she did, she just couldn't place him. _

_It took a few days, but eventually it came to her. _

"_Mother?" She said quietly, but directly as she entered the study._

"_Yes Emily." Elizabeth Prentiss answered, not looking up from her work._

"_Who is Harry Casetello to you?"_

_Emily stood across the desk from her mother, who slowly removed her reading glasses and placed them calmly on the papers in front of her._

"_Harry Castello is nobody." She insisted as a matter of fact, staring her daughter straight in the eye._

"_On the contrary mother, he is the local mob boss. But I want to know what he has got to do with you and dad." _

"_I told you nothing…" She said with scorn, picking up her glasses in preparation for returning to her work "…Now get back to your room." _

"_I remember him." Emily muttered, ignoring her mother's direction._

_The ambassador glared back at her daughter, "What?" _

"_I was about four or five. You picked me up from school and we went to the grocery store. He was in there…. I can't remember what he said to you, but I know I was scared. And do you know why I was scared?"_

_Her mother shook her head._

"_Because you were scared mother. And that's really the only time I can ever remember seeing you scared…. Well until this moment right now."_

_Elizabeth Prentiss swallowed hard and composed herself, "There's nothing for you to know. Now stop asking questions and do as you're told."_

_Emily shook her head, "But mother….."_

_The Ambassador slammed her hand down on the table, "for once in your life Emily will you just do as you're told!" She shouted._

_Emily watched her mother's face, within seconds turn from fear to rage and then back to that calm, cold exterior. "What have you gotten yourself into mother?" She asked, her voice quiet and shaky with worry._

_But Elizabeth Prentiss just ignored her daughter's question, replacing her glasses and beginning to write once again on the official notepaper in front of her._

_The young brunette stared at her mother for what felt like an eternity, willing her to look back up to her, but it never came…_

"And she's never explained?" Morgan asked.

"Nope…" Emily answered, shaking her head, "…. I've mentioned his name once since then and all it does is put fear into her. I have no idea what hold he has on her…. But I know he has something."

"How come you asked about him again?"

"Well, I always kept track of him. I didn't dig deep, just what was reported on him in the press. I saw a few articles about his sons Shane and Michael and one day I recognised Shane. I thought he was following me."

"How long ago was this?" Morgan asked with concern.

"Oh five or six years ago. Not long after I moved back to DC. He didn't do anything, but I went and confronted him."

"And what did he do?

"Nothing…" She shrugged, "…. It was like he was studying me or something. I asked him what he was doing and he just ran away. It was weird."

"Well this definitely sounds like something Hotch should know. I think it's time to put in a phone call."

Emily shook her head, "My mother isn't going to like this."

Morgan stroked the side of her face, seeing that fear that he guessed she saw in her mother's face those few times, "Baby, I know this is going to be hard, but clearly it's something to do with what's happening here. We have to let Hotch know." He urged.

She smiled sadly and took a contemplative breath, "I know." She whispered.

"Ok. Come on then. Let's get our stuff together and get out of this hell hole. We can make the phone call here and then move on some place else. We'll be long gone before they trace the call…"

**To be continued…**


	6. Chapter 6

**So so sorry this took so long. My muse got lost a little with all the Paget stuff going on. So I know folks have probably lost interest, but I hope this picks it up a little…**

Having left their dive of a room behind finally, they drove into the city and Morgan parked a block away from the payphone he was planning to use to call Hotch . After applying the handbrake, he reached behind his seat and pulled out a baseball cap, handing it to an unimpressed looking Emily.

"I'm not a Yankees fan Morgan." She muttered sarcastically, examining the red head gear.

"Oh sorry. Just exactly which baseball team are you a fan of?" He said, eyebrows raised.

Ignoring his mocking tone, she pulled her hair back into a ponytail and put the cap into position, "You got some cash so I can get some more clothes and better head attire while you call Hotch?" Emily asked as she undid her belt.

He shook his head, "No. We're not splitting up."

She rolled her eyes and sighed, "Derek, I think I'll be ok for a couple of minutes on my own."

"No. It's not worth the risk. Just wait for me to finish the call, then you can shop your heart out." He said firmly.

"So who made you the boss all of a sudden?" She spat with annoyance.

He stared at her wide eyed, the tension between them surfacing out of nowhere.

She held his glare stubbornly until she saw his features soften and his eyes change from frustration to a smile.

"What?" She asked, unable to stop a smirk forming on her lips also.

"I see Emily's back." He chuckled.

She pursed her lips and playfully jabbed him in the thigh with her fist, "Oi!"

He just laughed, removed the keys from the engine and then grabbed for the door handle.

"So are you going to give me some money then?" She asked, turning to face him.

He looked back to her as he opened the door, "Nope." He said, before jumping out on to the sidewalk.

He waited for a few seconds and then frowned when she didn't appear on the other side as he expected her to. Leaning down, he peered into the vehicle where she was sat arms folded.

"Emily, come on." He muttered impatiently.

She hated being told what to do, but what she hated even more was knowing that he was right. He hadn't come all this way to help her, just to make silly little mistakes that could land either one of them in a lot of trouble.

Without looking at him, she turned and exited the car herself, joining him on the sidewalk. She made no eye contact in protest, but he smiled as she slipped her arm around his and pulled him a little closer into her side as they began the walk toward the call box.

As he dialled, she stood next to him, slightly behind, trying to keep out of view as best as possible, but in a position where she could see anyone approaching them.

Morgan nodded to her as he heard the call get picked up at the other end and his Unit Chief's voice, questioning down the phone;

"_Agent Hotchner."_

"Hotch it's me."

"_Morgan. Where are you?" _

"C'mon Hotch, you know I'm not going to tell you that." Morgan reasoned.

"_Ok. Hang on. The team are here. I'll put you on speaker phone."_

Morgan heard the shuffling of his colleagues as the cell was placed on the table.

"_Are you ok Morgan? Are you with Emily?" _Hotch began, with Rossi, Garcia, JJ and Reid all huddled around him.

"Yeah we're both fine." He answered, everyone in the room looking at each other with some relief.

"_Good. So what can you tell me then?" _Hotch continued, flipping into usual case mode.

"The men who took Emily were Doyle's men." Morgan told them.

"_Doyle?" _Reid was the first to react, as the eyes of all the Agent's widened.

"Well, at least they _were_ his men….." Morgan continued, "…..Seems they want payback for something, but it's not revenge."

"_No, they would have killed her outright."_ Rossi mused.

"Look, Emily did not catch that plane from DC. She was taken by these men and they murdered Castello with her glock. They then bought her here on a private plane and set her up for the gang killing here. They said they wanted reimbursement…..."

"_But she doesn't know what exactly they want reimbursement for?" _Hotch asked.

"No, but there is something else."

"_Go on."_

"There is a link between Castello and Emily's mother."

"_Ambassador Prentiss? What kind of link?"_ The Unit Chief's brow furrowed and he glanced at Rossi knowing this could get very complicated.

"Emily doesn't know, but you got to talk to her mother Hotch. Emily remembers him from when she was younger. She thinks he has some sort of hold over her mother."

"Ok. Is there anything else?" Hotch asked.

"No. That's it. But take this cell number down so you can contact us. I won't leave it switched on and I'll only turn it on once a day and it won't be where we're staying. So you can tell the Detectives, which I assume you will be, to not waste their time trying to trace us with this." The dark Agent explained.

"_Ok, give us the number."_ Hotch responded, catching Rossi give him a smirk at the younger Agent's directness.

"It's 4158964752."

"_Morgan…" _

He heard the techie's shaky voice call out to him desperately.

"Hey mama. Hoe you doing?"

"_I'm fine, but what about Emily? Is she really ok? She looked so hurt in that camera footage."_

"Hold on guys."

Morgan held the black plastic receiver out to the brunette who looked at it like it was some sort of foreign object.

"I don't know if I should." She whispered to him.

"It's ok. Just say hello so they know you're ok." He muttered to her, moving in a little closer.

She took it from him and he frowned as he saw her hand was shaking, something he thought had stopped a day or so ago.

"Hi guys." She almost whispered down the phone.

Her words bought a sense of relief to all of her friends, even though she sounded unusually quiet.

"_Em, how you doing?"_ JJ asked.

Emily smiled hearing her friend's warm, familiar tone.

"I'm ok now I've got Garcia's chocolate thunder here to boss me around."

The Agents all smiled at one another, more relief waving over them hearing her familiar sarcastic tone, being able to make light of the situation.

Garcia took a step closer to Hotch's cell, _"Baby, I hear that chocolate thunder is all yours now. We have some serious catching up to do. I want gory details."_

They all heard the smallest of chuckles at the other end of the line, "As soon as I get back, you're top of my list Penelope…." Emily said with every sincerity, "…And guys, I'm so sorry I'm putting you all this situation again. I don't know how to thank you."

"_Emily…"_ Rossi started, _"… we don't want thanks. The only thing we want is you two back here safe. Make sure you look after each other."_

"Thanks. We will. Look we have to go now, but we'll speak soon."

"_Ok Emily. Take care of yourselves."_ Hotch said, followed by a chorus of goodbyes from his team.

~~CM~~

Hotch and Rossi made their way to the police station to let the Police know of what they had so far, leaving his team with strict instructions not to start work on anything until they got the ok to do so.

"Detective Hodgson." Hotch said, walking into the man's office leaving Rossi outside.

The Detective was busied with paperwork and looked up to the Agent as if he was inconvenienced by his presence, "Agent Hotchner." He sighed.

"I have something for you." The Unit Chief informed him.

"Ok." He answered somewhat suspiciously.

"Agent Morgan has gone over to Brazil. He's with Agent Prentiss now."

The man's eyes widened and he slammed the palm of his hand on the desk as he rose, "What the hell? I told you not to get involved!"

"I can promise you, it was not authorised and he will be dealt with when he gets back."

Hotch's tone was calm, an utter contrast to the Detective's, whose was full of anger and stress.

"Dealt with….? " The man scoffed sarcastically, "…..Oh he will be dealt with Agent Hotchner. For interfering in an investigation….. He will be dealt with in prison."

"Detective. He is not interfering." Hotch informed the man.

"But he is assisting in harbouring a wanted suspect." Hodgson stated.

"He's assisting in keeping her alive." The dark haired Agent answered, his tone not faultering.

"What do you mean?"  
>"She did not kill those men." Hotch said as a matter of fact.<p>

The Detective laughed sarcastically and shook his head, "She's the prime suspect. You bring me evidence that she's not guilty and then I will start looking elsewhere."

"That's exactly what we want to do, but you have to let us assist you."

"What? When one of your current Agents is right in the thick of it? I don't think so."

"Let us work alongside you. You can see everything we will do is above board. Detective, I have some of the best resources available in this country. Just let us help. We both want the same thing here…. The right person bought to justice for the murder." Hotch reasoned.

"Tell me what you have first." Hodgson demanded.

Hotch relayed everything that Morgan had told him and Hodgson listened intently, making notes as he went along.

"Ok, you can _assist_ us. But you are not leading this investigation. Everything goes through me ok?" Hodgson directed, trying to stamp some authority.

Hotch held his hands up in front of him, "Of course Detective. That's all that I want."

"Where do you want to start?" The Detective asked, immediately unconsciously handing tipping back some of the power to the Unit Chief.

"I'd like to speak with Harry Castello and then Ambassador Prentiss."

"Ok, but I'm sending one of my Detective's with you."

"Detective that's fine, my only request is that you let me speak to Ambassador Prentiss alone in the first instance."  
>Hodgson shook his head, "That's not the deal Agent Hotchner."<p>

"I know, but I have known her a number of years and this is a really sensitive matter. It's needs to be handled in the right way, or she may not tell us everything. You have my word I will hold nothing back relating to this investigation."

Hodgson maintained a heavy stare on Hotch, but remained silent in thought for a few seconds. The link to the Ambassador is something he knew he would not have without the BAU and knew full well from his own prior solitary dealing with her, she would not give up anything easily. Politics stunk, but he knew there was a game to be played out here. He had done his own background checks on Agent Hotchner and knew the power, influence and contacts he had attained from his long career… an asset he could not afford to lose or alienate.

"Ok. See her on your own and report back to me straight away." Hodgson conceded.

Hotch was happy to go along with the Detective's orders, but they both knew Hotch had won this battle. But that was not of course what mattered here…...

"So I can let my Agent's begin work on this too?" Hotch asked.

"Yes, but I think it would be useful if we all worked from here."

"I agree. I'll call for them now."

~~CM~~

After they had made the call and bought a few more essentials, Derek and Emily set off to find their next place of rest. They had no particular goal of where to get to, other than somewhere where they could disappear… hide, until they were ready to go home. Today they decided to travel north west and found a small town, a little lee run down than the last, but not by much. Emily's grasp of Portuguese was good enough to find them a half decent room to rent, marginally better than the one they left behind. Of course, they had the money to go for a hotel, but it was too risky.

Emily unlocked the door and entered the hot, musty room. She flicked the switch for the fan which started whirring as Morgan followed her on in with the bags dumping them and rushing for the bathroom.

"Just be a second." He called back to her, as she took one look at the inviting bed and let her body fall into the soft mattress.

Spying her upon walking out of the bathroom, he chuckled and shook his head, "You can't be tired, surely? You slept like a log last night."

She just smiled at him and shook her head, patting the mattress to the side of her.

He moved across the room and sat next to her, placing one hand the other side of her body on the off white sheets, so he hovered above her, "So, what do you wanna do? You hungry?" He asked.

She shook her head but remained silent.

"What _do_ you wanna do then?" He said gently, reading her features as they softened and her eyes bore into his.

She still said nothing, but instead pushed herself up so she was sitting with his frame still towering over hers. She smiled as she moved her lips closer to his and let them meet for the smallest of moments.

Seeing his eyes smile, she closed the tiny gap between them again, this time the kiss deeper and more searching.

"Emily…." He breathed into her as he felt her hands begin to roam under his shirt.

She ignored him and continued her exploration of his firm skin, letting her fingers brush over the ripples on his stomach.

He placed one hand to her hair, his fingers entwining with the dark, soft locks, "Emily, you better stop that or…."

"Or what?" She whispered into his mouth.

"Or I won't be able to." He murmured, pressing his lips harder against hers as he let his tongue explore her mouth a little more frantically.

He felt her fingers leave his chest and for a split second and couldn't help but feel disappointed. That was until, however, the skin of his chest became exposed as she lifted the shirt over his head.

"Emily, I'll hurt you." He reasoned, his eyes fixed on hers.

She shook her head, "No you won't." She uttered confidently.

Yesterday, doing this with him wouldn't have even crossed her mind. Yesterday she was scared, confused, panicked. She was tired, in pain and felt dirty. But today, after a good night's sleep and fresh clothes, his strong arms wrapped around her all night, his calming and reassuring presence, she was able to feel like herself, even if for small pockets of time. And this was one of those pockets.

He was torn though…. His body wanted this more than anything, but his head was afraid. Not because he didn't think she could handle it… if she said that's what she wanted, he believed her. He had seen that wanton look in her eyes plenty of times over the past months. But he knew it would be so easy to hurt her and it would take some manoeuvring not to. But after a battle with himself for all of thirty seconds, manoeuvring is exactly what he decided to do… His strength, combined with both of their imaginations, meant the next half an hour went perfectly, leaving them both exhausted, sweaty, a little achy, but very very content.

They lay in silence for a little while, both just happy to pretend they were in a somewhat normal situation. She lay a top him, her head resting on his chest and their legs entwined. He gently stroked her naked back and kissed the crown of her head before eventually asking her something he'd wanted to ask since they left the city earlier.

"Em." He whispered.

"Yeah." He felt her breathe warmly into his skin.

"Why did you hesitate when I gave you the phone earlier to talk to everyone?"

He felt her body begin to shift on his and he naturally wrapped his arms around her, scared she was about to part from him.

"Em?" He repeated.

She shook her head so slightly he almost missed it, and then her words came out broken, "I just don't know how much more I can expect them to keep doing for me. How long before they realise?"

"Realise what?"

"It's me Derek. I'm nothing but trouble to you guys."  
>"Hey…." He began, placing one of his big hands reassuringly on her soft hair, "…You are <em>not<em> trouble. This isn't your fault."

"But it is though isn't it? If I hadn't done what I did with Doyle, this wouldn't be happening. You could lose your job or worse. The team are concentrating on this when they could be doing something else…."

She halted as she felt one finger gently touch her lips,

"Stop…." He almost growled, "…..You know this isn't your fault and you would never be able to stop those five people back in DC, or me, fighting for you. They love you…. I love you. And the sooner you accept that, the sooner we can…."

She lifted her head and rested on her chin looking at him inquisitively as he stopped speaking, "Sooner we can what?" She asked.

She smirked as he rolled his eyes upwards in thought, "I'm not sure…." He said, "… but while I think about it, why don't you plant some more sugar on these lips."

She laughed, shaking her head, "Plant some sugar?"

But instead of waiting for his response, she didn't hesitate meeting him when he lifted his head just a little and reached his lips out to her.

~~CM~~

Rossi and Hotch plus a young Detective, Hodgson had sent along to basically report back everything that was said, stood outside Castello's grand home, having been allowed entry through the electronic gates.

Castello opened the door and motioned for the three men to enter without uttering a word. He did not offer a drink, in fact he did not offer a seat and they all remained standing in the hallway, Castello clearly believing this would not be taking long.

"Harry Castello, I'm Agent Hotchner. This is Agent Rossi and Detective Benson."

The gray haired man just nodded, unphased by their presence.

Rossi took at step forward, "Sorry for the loss of your son Harry. We are here to help catch his killer."

Castello shrugged, "I already spoke to the police…." He started, nodding toward Benson who stood arms folded, "…What else do you want from me?"

"You are aware of who is wanted for Shane's murder?" Rossi asked the man, studying his reaction.

He nodded, "Emily Prentiss." He stated.

"And you're also aware of what else she is wanted for?" The Italian Agent added.

"How can I not be? It's all over the news." Castello shrugged.

"Well, we have reason to believe the man she is alleged to have killed in Brazil belongs to a gang you owe money to." Hotch accused.

"You said alleged. You don't believe she did it." The man stated, deflecting Hotch's statement and trying gauge is own reactions from the men in front of him.

"We're just here to find out the truth." The Unit Chief said in a calm, but firm tone.

"Have you found her?" Castello asked, his tone remaining constant.

"No" Hotch shook his head.

"You think she's still alive?" The older man asked, suddenly swallowing hard as he finished his sentence, the first change in his demeanour since they had been there.

Hotch nodded, "Yes, we have reason to believe she is still alive."

"Ok…." Castello started, taking a couple of steps past the Agents and opening the door, "….if there's nothing else, I'd like to be left alone." He said, gesturing for the three men to leave.

Rossi moved closer to Castello,

"We also know this has something to do with Ian Doyle." Rossi added, ignoring the man's obvious annoyance at his continued questioning.

"Well, as _you_ know Agents, Ian Doyle is dead, and may he rot in hell."

"Not a fan?" Rossi asked.

Castello laughed, "No I am not."

"So, how is he connected to you?"

"He isn't."

Rossi was getting frustrated himself at the man's short and unrevealing answers, but he maintained his air of cool,

"Look Harry, I know you don't want to tell us anything as it may implicate you, but trying to deal with this yourself will only end up in making matters worse." The older Agent attempted to reason.

Castello looked Rossi in the eyes, "You don't appear to be doing such a good job of it yourselves….." He said as a matter of fact. "… You have FBI and police working it and you're no closer to finding her…. I know what I'm doing."

Rossi glanced back to Hotch who nodded.

"There is one last thing…" The older Agent began, "…..What do you know of Ambassador Prentiss?"

A sarcastic grin appeared across Castello's face and he shook his head, "I know she's Emily's mother. What else do you want me to say?"

"What hold do you have over her?" Hotch called from behind Rossi.

He looked between the two Agents and then shook his head, "Nah… You need to speak to her. Now if you don't mind, I have stuff to do…." And the gray haired man indicated for them to leave the room.

Hotch made his way out, followed by Benson. Rossi held back and produced a card from his top pocket, handing it to the man, "Harry, all we want is to get the man who killed your son. We're not interested in taking you or your business apart. You want to talk in private, here's my number."

Castello said nothing, but took the card and placed it in his back pants pocket.

Rossi nodded at him, before following his colleague out of the room.

~~CM~~

"What do you think?" Hotch asked, glancing over to Rossi as he drove the SUV back to the station.

"Well, he certainly isn't going to make this easy for us, but the one thing that jumped out at me was that he seemed to bare no malice towards the woman who is alleged to have murdered his son."

"I agree…" Hotch started, "….. Also, calling her Emily, not Agent Prentiss, which is what she has been referred to in all the news broadcasts."

"Plus the fact he is a career criminal and she is FBI. She represents everything he should hate." Rossi added.

All of a sudden Benson leant forward, muttering his first words since they had left the station, "You think he wants to find her first? You know, get his own revenge?" He said somewhat excitedly.

The two Agents glanced at each other, "May be." Rossi answered, knowing that both he and Hotch were not thinking that at all….

**To be continued….**


	7. Chapter 7

**Nothing to say other than thank you for being patient and that you for the reviews of the last chapter…. They always inspire…. And hope you enjoy this one **

They hadn't moved off the bed for the rest of the morning, just happy to enjoy their few moments of calm in each others arms after a crazy few days.

He lay, wide awake, staring at the ceiling, not sure if she was snoozing or deep in thought like himself. He could feel her slow, warm breaths brush his chest and she hadn't moved a muscle in at least ten minutes or so.

"You never finished off your story." He whispered, quiet enough that if she were asleep, she wouldn't hear him.

Her body shifted a little against him, "My story?" She uttered, her words tired and muffled into his skin as she lay in the crook of his arm.

He chuckled. "So you are awake then?"

"Just about." She yawned.

"Ok. It doesn't matter." He assured, gripping her just a little more tightly round her waist, hoping she'd melt even further into him, but she wriggled away and propped herself up on one elbow to face him.

"No. Tell me." She insisted.

"The last part you told me was when you were in the flat with Doyle's men. You never told me what happened after that." He stated as he fiddled with her dark hair that fell over her naked back.

"Oh that story…." She said with a wink, then settling herself back down into his arms… "Right…. Well from the flat they took me to the private plane. It was all a blur to be honest. They gave me something and I was in and out of consciousness the whole time. I don't even remember getting off the plane at the other end. The first thing I really remember was waking up on the floor of some back street building in Sao Paulo…"

_Her eyelids peeked open and then fell heavily closed again. Her body felt like it was overheating, but she felt the coldness of the concrete floor against her cheek that was somewhat of a relief from the stifling heat. _

_She closed her eyes tight feeling a searing pain flow through her head and down the back of her neck, and as it slowly subsided, she opened her eyes once again._

_In her line of sight she could see the face of an unfamiliar man staring straight back at her. The blood dripping from his agape mouth and the vacant look in his eyes was all she needed to know to tell her he was long dead._

_Gradually, she pushed herself up on to her knees, careful to make no sudden movements, not knowing the extent of her own injuries. Her body felt so heavy and sore._

_She scanned the room, now having a better vantage point and ascertained she was alone….. apart from the dead guy. She surveyed the loose dollar notes flapping on the ground from the current of air created by the solitary fan on the ceiling and the bundles of what she could only assume were narcotics, most likely heroin, strewn across the room._

_But what she saw next was what made her realise that this was a set up….. That, or she had a very bad case of amnesia._

_A small hand gun was lay on the floor just a foot away. She had missed it as she was looking the other way when she awoke, but it would have been right next to her right hand. She looked at the trigger, then to her own fingers…. All covered in the same shade of bright red blood._

_She quickly wiped her hands on her pants and in confusion looked down. Her suit pants were gone and she was wearing jeans and a vest top. They must have changed her…_

_She then rushed to the dirty window and looked out upon the unfamiliar street, swarming with activity. Beat up were cars bumper to bumper. She saw the shop signs… Spanish or Portuguese. She wasn't sure. All she was sure of, was that she had to get out of there. _

_She desperately looked around the room and spied a rotting piece of cloth on top of a mound of cardboard boxes. Grabbing it, she picked up the small weapon, shoving it down the back of her pants and then made her way carefully down the stairs and out of the building._

_Running into the street, she looked around her. Paranoia set in and it immediately seemed as though every strange face was looking at her. As she moved, if felt like everyone was following her…. The teenage boy on the corner. The old man carrying the wooden pole. The skinny woman pointing towards her. She could swear she had a hundred pairs of eyes on her._

_It could have been the after effects of the drugs. It could be the heat. It could be her injuries….. But something slowed her down. Her chest was heavy and she felt as though she couldn't breathe…. Pushing her way through the crowds, it felt as though the sea of people was never ending. The heat was bearing down on her and as she made it to the edge she fell to the ground, exhaling deeply, trying to gain composure._

"We saw you" Morgan interrupted.

"What do you mean?" She asked, looking back up at him with inquisitive eyes.

"In the crowd…." He muttered softly, "…. We had security footage sent from Brazil. You looked…. Well you looked bad Emily."

She gave a little shrug, "Well, you've seen what they did to me…." She gave a contemplative chuckle, "… I don't even want to think about what they did when I wasn't conscious."

Morgan's head sprung back, his eyes widened and a look of horror flashed across his face.

She shook her head, "No. I didn't mean anything like that." She assured.

He closed his eyes and let out a sigh of relief.

"I just meant I woke up with worse injuries than before they knocked me out. I guess they needed to make it look like I'd been fighting with the dead guy."

"What did you do with the gun?" Morgan asked

"I dropped it in a dumpster as far away as I could get." She told him.

"The reports said you had stolen money and drugs. But they were still there when you woke up?" He queried.

"Only a little. It was clear there was a lot missing."

"No wonder they want to find you." He stated.

She sighed, "Yep. Someone is going to be mighty pissed right now."

He took a moment's pause in thought, "How did you find somewhere to stay? You had no money."

"I took some of the left over money. I know it was risky, but I had nothing else. It was enough to get me a couple of nights in a small room and then I had to…."

She paused and looked down. He followed her gaze and saw her brush her own wrist with her fingertips. He immediately cupped her hand in his gently, lifting her arm in front of them both, "Your watch….. You sold it?" He asked.

She nodded.

"But your father gave you that."

She glanced at him with a small, sad smirk and then lowered her head back down to his strong chest, "I had to. I had nothing else. It was that, or starve and sleep on the street."

"Baby I'm sorry. I know what that meant to you." He said kissing the top of her head lightly and pulling her further into him.

He felt her shrug, "It's just stuff….." She tried to convince herself.

But he knew she was lying. She had told him about that watch on their third date after she had left the BAU, at The Blue Duck Tavern in northwest Washington. He had held her hand across the table and admired the beautiful, dainty, gold watch and asked her about it. He knew there would be a back story to it, just like most odd and worldly objects lying about her apartment. He watched as her beautiful dark eyes lit up as she spoke about the day she had graduated college and her father took her to one side to give her the gift alone. Just the two of them…. She had shown him the delicate engraving on the back, '_To my Emily. From the proudest father in the world. Always.'_

He shook his head, frustrated by what she had had to go through once again on her own, but Emily quickly unknowingly pulled him out of his thoughts, flipping the conversation to triviality….. One of her on point emotion avoiding skills…

"I'm hungry." She stated.

He gave the smallest of laughs, "Me too. I'll go out and get something." He said, rolling her off his arm and swinging his legs off the bed, reaching for his joggers that had been discarded on the floor earlier.

"I'll come with you. We could do with having a drive round. Get a feel for the place."

"Sure…." He agreed, standing and heading for the bathroom, "…..Oh and grab the camera. We can find an internet café and send our racy holiday snaps to Garcia." He winked back at her, earning her trademark roll of the eyes.

~~CM~~

"Garcia…." Hotch said, glancing up from the papers he was reading in the dimly lit, stuffy office leant to the team by Detective Hodgson, "…. What you got?"

"Sir, I contacted Clyde Easter to see why he thought Doyle's men may be after Emily."

"And?" Reid asked hurriedly.

Taking a seat next to JJ, the techie began to explain, "He says that after Doyle went on the run, because of the attention from the authorities on his people, a buyer pulled out of a huge arms deal. I'm talking over a million dollars worth. Even since Doyle died, the group have struggled to re-establish themselves. They've lost a lot of money."

"So they want a payout? That's the reimbursement they want." Rossi stated.

"But what's that got to do with Castello?" JJ asked.

"I think I may have an idea…." Hotch said standing, "…. I'm going to see Ambassador Prentiss…. Rossi." He said, signalling for the older profiler to join him. "….The rest of you, do as much research on Miguel Ferreira and the Comando Vermelho, their hang outs, ranking structure, where they're based. We need as much information as possible in case we need to send a team over there to get Morgan and Prentiss out."

~~CM~~

"Agent Hotchner? Is there news on Emily? Have you found her?" Ambassador Prentiss asked expectantly, seeing the familiar tall profiler at her door.

"There is news. I can tell you that she is ok, but I don't know where she is." Hotch stated.

The Agents both saw a relieved breath escape the woman in front of them and she took at moment before bringing herself back to their conversation.

She shook her head, "Sorry. Where are my manners? Please come in." She said, moving aside to allow them in.

"Thank you Ambasssador….." Hotch offered as they walked in, then turning back to Rossi, "…..This is my colleague Agent David Rossi."

"Yes…." She said shaking the older Agent's hand, "…Emily has told me about you. She thinks a lot of you."

Rossi gave a small smile on the outside that was much bigger on the inside. He had always felt like an uncle to Emily. He knew she'd shared things with him that she had shared with no other and the fact that she'd spoken to her mother about him, knowing the strained relationship she had with her, pleased him.

"Please come into the sitting room. My husband is here too."

"Er, would you like to speak alone?" Hotch asked quietly, as a warning to the woman.

"No it's fine. I have nothing to hide from him." She said with certainty, leading the way.

The Agents glanced at one another with raised brows, not quite believing such a woman had no secrets from her husband.

After introductions and the supply of hot drinks, the four of them sat in the large room, Elizabeth and Robert Prentiss on one chair, Rossi and Hotch on another opposite.

"So Elizabeth says you don't know where Emily is but she's ok?" Robert Prentiss queried with slight confusion.

"Yes sir, we have had contact from her." The Unit chief told him.

"Is anyone with her?" the Ambassador asked, glancing at Hotch, but immediately averting her gaze almost nervously.

His brow furrowed, "Yes. Agent Morgan is with her. What made you ask that?"

"Look, Agent Hotchner, let's just cut to the chase. Why are you here?" She asked sharply, ignoring his question and shifting the control of the conversation back to herself.

"Ambassador, your daughter is in a lot of trouble and we are trying to help her, but to do that, we need to know everything. We know there is a connection between you and Harry Castello…. And there is also a connection to Ian Doyle."

Rossi watched the couple. There was a look of awkwardness at the mention of Castello from both of them, but their reaction to Doyle's name was entirely different.

"Ian Doyle….?" The Ambassador questioned, "….What on earth does he have to do with this? He's dead right? Or was that a fake too?" The bitterness in the woman's voice was not lost on either Agent.

Robert Prentiss remained silent and his foot began tapping. Catching Rossi's analysing eye, he immediately stood and began pacing the room as his wife conversed with the Agents.

"Everything all right Mr Prentiss?" Rossi asked, following the man with his eyes, who was holding his hands so tight together that his knuckles were ghostly white.

Elizabeth Prentiss looked up to her husband and frowned seeing the stress on his, "Robert?" She said searchingly.

The tall, dark haired man came to a stand still in front of the grand fireplace, one hand behind his head, rubbing nervously.

Hotch stood up, "Sir, you really must tell us everything if you want us to help Emily."

He glanced between the Agents and his wife, all of them staring at him with a look of expectancy….

Taking a deep breath, he slumped his shoulders as if defeated, "Some of Doyle's men came to see me." He confessed.

"What?" Elizabeth Prentiss exclaimed, jumping out of her seat to face her husband.

He looked her in the eye, "A couple of weeks ago two men, claiming to be Doyle's men approached me, asking for money."

"How much money?" Hotch asked, shifting the man's focus to himself.

"One and a half million."

"And what did you tell them?" Hotch continued.

Robert Prentiss let out a sarcastic snort, shaking his head, "We don't have that kind of cash lying around."

"And how did they respond to that?" Rossi asked.

"They said I better find a way of getting the money or else they would hurt her….." He placed a hand to his forehead and rubbed hard, his eyes shut tight, "…. I had no way of getting that kind of money so….."

His words broke off and he turned away from the captive audience, unable to look them in the eyes.

The Ambassador took a step forward, "Robert. What did you do?" She asked firmly, but calmly, seeing her husband was in some distress.

The three of them watched as he slowly shook his head, "They were serious Elizabeth….." He almost pleaded, turning to face her, "…. There was only one person I could think of who had that kind of money."

The couple's stare met knowingly and the Agent's saw the Ambassador's eyes widen in realisation, "You….." She swallowed hard, "…..You got _him_ involved?" She said almost with contempt.

"All her life he wanted to be involved so this was the one thing he could have done for her. Right?" The man stated.

"Was this some sort of revenge?" She spat at her husband.

His expression changed to one of disbelief, may be even hurt. He shook his head slowly, "No…. I would do anything for that girl. You know that. I honestly thought he was the only one who could help." His defended.

"Ambassador…." Hotch began calmly, looking from the woman with a scathing look on her face, to the man, lost and regretful, "….. Mr Prentiss, you really need to tell us what's going on."

Robert looked his wife in the eyes, silently begging for her to begin talking.

She let her stare remain on him for a few seconds and then stood up straight, turning to face Hotch and Rossi as if about to give a speech at a political function, "I met Harry Castello just over a year before Emily was born. I didn't know anything about him back then…." She started, shaking her head in annoyance with herself, "…. I guess I was naïve."

She paused her words, taking a step towards the decanter and pouring herself a generous glass of whisky. Without offering one to anyone else, she took a large sip and retook her seat on the sofa. The Agents followed her lead and sat opposite, not muttering another word… letting her go at her own pace. They had already guessed what was coming anyway.

She let her finger trace the rim of the glass as she continued, "I fell for him. We had a relationship and I got pregnant." She glanced up nervously, just catching Rossi's eye, and then looked back down to the glass.

He saw the exact same look he had seen on Emily's face just a few years ago…

"So then what happened?" Hotch asked gently.

She looked at him, "You see, my career had just started. When my father found out, he did some digging and revealed exactly what kind of a man Harry Castello was. Robert and I had broken up just a few months before and we decided to try and make it work. It was what we did back then."

"You mean your father wanted us to get married to cover up your secret." Robert Prentiss added with some venom.

She glanced at her husband and then back to the Agents with almost pleading eyes, "I am not proud of what I did, but give the choice again, I would have had picked no one other than Robert. He has been a wonderful father to Emily."

"I'm sure he has Ambassador." Rossi reassured.

"So how did Castello take it? I'm assuming he knew? Emily has said she remembered him." Hotch continued.

"He tried to get involved. He wanted to provide for her….. Be in her life." She told them

"But you wouldn't let him so he threatened you?" Hotch asked.

She shook her head, "No….. He never threatened me….." She stated, "….. He begged me. But I wouldn't let him be a part of her life."

"And you have had nothing to do with him recently?" The Unit Chief inquired.

"No…." She said firmly, "…. I have not spoken to that man since Emily was a child."

"Ok. Well, thank you for your honesty ma'am. You have given us something to work with…." Hotch began, standing up, "…. We will leave you in peace now, but if there's anything else you think of, or need, please get in contact with us straight away."

"We will. Thank you Agent Hotchner….." She began, standing up also, "….I know you have to do whatever takes to get her back safe but….."

Hotch cut her off with a reassuring hand, "Ambassador, I promise this information will be on a need to know basis."

She nodded to the two men, who then began to walk towards the door, but Rossi stopped and turned back, "Just so you know…" He said, looking to both Robert and Elizabeth, "….. When we spoke to Castello, he didn't tell us any of this. He made it clear it would be for you to tell us. And, if this offers any kind of reassurance, he doesn't believe she killed his son anymore than we do."

Neither of the couple said a word, but both nodded in understanding before they shared a quick, sorry glance.….

~~CM~~

As they approached the counter of the convenience store, Morgan carrying their basket of groceries, he spotted the newspaper stand. He leant in to Emily, "Let's see if you're still making the news." He mumbled, playfully nudging her with his elbow.

"If you must…." She said dryly, "…. But while you do that, I'm going to ask if there's an internet café round here." She said, stepping away from him and approaching the man, probably in his sixties, stuffing a unappetising clump of meat in to his mouth, sat behind the counter.

"Desculpe-me senhor. Você poderia me dizer onde o café mais próximo internet é favour?"

(Excuse me sir. Could you tell me where the nearest internet café is please?) She asked.

"Eu não sei. Desculpe." (I do not know. Sorry) The man said with a nonchalant shrug.

She turned back to Morgan, "He doesn't know. I'm going to go to that electrical store across the road. They may know."

"Ok. I'll wait for you here." He replied, not looking up from the paper he was leafing through.

About a minute later, Morgan's head snapped round to look out of the store, hearing a crash of a metal bin flying along the sidewalk.

"You fucking bitch!" The stinking man spat in her ear in a thick local accent, as he pushed her small frame against the brick wall.

She clenched her teeth so hard from the pain of her broken ribs being crushed once again by his body weight.

"Where is the money and drugs, bitch?" He snarled.

All she could do was shake her head as her breath was wedged in her throat so much so that she was unable to make a sound.

"Ok then, have it your way." He grunted.

A split second later she felt the cold mental from the barrel of his gun connect with the side of her head.

"Let's try again…. Where…. Is…. The money….. And the drugs?" He snarled, the butt of the gun being pushed a little further into her with each word.

But before she had time to respond, the man's weight suddenly disappeared from upon her and out of the corner of her eye she saw him fall to the floor at her side.

"Emily. Come on!" Morgan shouted, grabbing the top of her arm.

He pushed her in front of him, knowing her pace would be slower than his due to her injuries.

She sprinted as best as she could towards the car and as she was a few feet away, she held an arm out, reaching for the handle. As her fingers brushed the paintwork, her whole body jumped hearing a gun shot ring out, the sound bouncing of the surrounding buildings.

She turned praying Morgan was right behind her, hoping that he would be shoving her into the car, but he wasn't. She looked down and there he was, face down on the side walk.

"Derek!" She cried out, dashing to kneel down next to him.

She exhaled sharply as his head rose and his eyes met hers, "It's ok, it's just my leg….." He winced, in obvious pain. "…. Go!" He ordered.

Emily looked back to where they had come from and saw the man, gun aimed towards them, just getting to his feet, still dazed from the blow to his head courtesy of Morgan.

"No. I'm not leaving you. Can you get up?" She asked with desperation.

"Yeah." He breathed, holding out his arm to her.

She pulled him up and he limped alongside her the few steps to the car.

They both ducked as another shot resonated though the air hitting the wing mirror.

"Give me the keys." She rushed in a panic.

Morgan fumbled in his pocket, throwing her the keys then scrambled for the door as Emily opened it for him.

She then sprinted round the front and jumped into the driver's seat, her hands shaking so much it took a few seconds to get the key in the ignition.

As the engine started, she slammed her foot on the accelerator and a screech from the wheels spinning screaming out as they pulled away.

They both ducked as they heard the back window cave in and tiny shards of glass hit them from behind, the third bullet ripping through the car and back out through the windscreen.

"You ok?" Morgan breathed, looking at Emily who was crouched as low as she could with still being able to see out front, her knuckles white from gripping the steering wheel so tight.

"Yeah. We've gotta get you to the hospital."

"No. It's just a flesh wound…." He told her, inspecting the hole in his jeans, soaked in blood, "….. We just need to get out of here."

"But Derek…." She attempted to protest.  
>"It's fine, just drive…." He interrupted. "….We've just got to get as far away as possible and dump this car."<p>

"You sure you'll be alright?" She said glancing over, seeing him pull his T-Shirt over his head.

He ripped the fabric in half and bent down, rolling his one trouser leg up.

"I'll be fine. Honestly." He attempted to reassure.

She glanced at him and then down at the wound as he wrapped the material tightly around his leg. Looking back to the road ahead, she took some deep breaths, attempting to subdue the tears stinging the backs of her eyes.

They had gotten complacent. They had gotten distracted. And she realised that they needed to do more than just lay low. They had to be ready for the fight…..

~~CM~~

"So what now?" Rossi asked as they sat back in the SUV on the Ambassador's driveway.

"We go back to Castello. He wants Emily alive and safe as much as we do." Hotch told the older profiler.

"And she has no idea he is her father." Rossi stated shaking his head.

"No she doesn't…..And telling her, is going to be a job for Morgan."

**To be continued…..**


	8. Chapter 8

**Thank you to everyone who has reviewed and I'm so sorry if I didn't reply…. I really do appreciate every one of you…. you keep me going. Hope you enjoy this chapter..**

"Agent Hotchner. I was just about to call you for an update. How did it go with the Ambassador?" Detective Hodgson asked as the two agents returned to the bustle of the police station.

"Of course Detective. Can we do this in your office? I have some fairly sensitive information." Hotch told him.

The dark haired man held out his hand, signalling for Rossi and Hotch to enter his office.

"So?" The Detective asked once they were safe within the walls of his den.

"I can get a sworn statement from Robert Prentiss saying that Doyle's men tried to blackmail him for one and a half million dollars or they would kill Agent Prentiss." Hotch began.

The Detective shrugged, "Ok, so what does this have to do with the murder of Shane Castello?"

"Robert Prentiss doesn't have that kind of cash, so sent them to Castello for the money." The Unit Chief continued.

"And why on earth would he do that?"

Hotch paused, glancing toward Rossi who nodded in encouragement, "Harry Castello is Agent Prentiss' real father. Robert Prentiss felt he was the only one who could put up that kind of money."

"What?" Hodgson exclaimed, not quite believing what he had just heard.

"Look, Detective, I know there is a lot more work to do, but I give you my absolute assurance that Agent Prentiss did not kill Shane Castello. We need to start looking for Doyle's men." Hotch emphasised.

"You will be wasting valuable time and resources trying to file a charge against Agent Prentiss." Rossi added.

The lead Detective remained silent, taking in what he had just been told.

Seeing that Hodgsion was not quite convinced, Rossi took a step forward, "Listen, there is no way that the Ambassador would make something like this up. This is a career ruiner. Please work with us on this."

Detective Hodgson nodded, "Ok. But she isn't off the hook yet. But I have to admit, that makes more sense. So what now?"

"We need to go back to talk to Castello, but can we just see how my team are doing first?" Hotch asked, still playing up to the pretence that the Detective was in charge.

"Of course. I'll come with you…." Hodgson agreed.

The three men entered the cramped office the JJ, Garcia and Reid were working in, joined by the young Detective Benson.

"How's it going?" Hotch asked what was left of his team.

"We've put together a briefing pack on the Comando Vermelho. Everything we can find on them is in this file." JJ said, handing over the thick dossier.

"Ok, this will come in useful."

"So are we sending someone to go and get them out?" Reid asked.

"Hopefully. Soon." Hotch attempted to assure.

"Whoa! Hang on a minute….." Hodgson started, "…What about the Police in Brazil? We can't just go in and take her out whilst she's wanted for a crime over there."

"The Police have no evidence on her apart from some anonymous tip off. The United States has an obligation to protect its citizens. She is currently being hunted down by the Comando Vermelho, who _will_ kill her. Brazil cannot guarantee her safety. So we must" Hotch explained.

"And once we get her back on US soil, no extradition policy will allow for her to be taken back to Brazil with zero evidence." Rossi continued.

"That's great, but what about the charges over here?" JJ asked, somewhat deflated and unconvinced.

"Well that's something we still need to work on." Hotch answered.

"Actually…." Garcia interrupted, still tapping away at her lap top, "…. I may have a lead."

"What is it?" Reid asked, as they all gathered around the analyst.

"With everything else I had to do, I only just got around to looking at security footage from the location where Morgan told us Emily had been abducted….."

She clicked open a file which bought up a video link. She pressed play, "You can't see the abduction as it is down an alleyway, but I have found Emily…." She points to the screen, "Here, she is walking along the sidewalk. This is when something grabs her attention and you can just see her reach for the glock from her ankle holster and then disappear."

"So what else have you found?" Rossi searches.

"Just wait one second…" Garcia says holding up a finger, "…..There…. See? This man follows her down the alley. He then reappears under a minute later and runs away. He looks terrified."

"You think he was in on it?" Detective Benson asks.

"No…" Hodgson states with a shake of the head, "…But he did witness it. We need to find him."

"I think I may have done that Detective….." Garcia tells him, clicking on another file.

This time an enlarged photo still of the young man pops up, "…See on his T-shirt…." The techie continues, "…Benny's Motor Garage. That's on Wisonsin Avenue, North West."

"I'm impressed." Hodgson says. He would of smiled if his facial muscles weren't so tight from the pressure he was under.

"Honey, you ain't seen nothing yet." Garcia mocks.

JJ smirks as Hotch turns to the Detective, "I'll go with Agent Jereau and one of your Detectives to the garage. I think Agent Rossi will have most luck with Castello."

"Ok." Hodgson nodded in agreement.

"Rossi take Reid with you to Castello. We'll meet you back here." Hotch directed.

~~CM~~

"I think we should get a gun." Emily thought out loud as she lay on his chest.

It was the morning after Morgan had been shot. They were both exhausted after the events of the day before. After dumping the car just under a hundred miles away from where they were stopping, they had then had to hunt for a new car to hire and medical supplies. Emily had cleaned and patched up his leg best she could before making the long drive back to their temporary home.

"We are not getting a gun." Morgan said firmly.

She rolled off him and sat up against the head board, "Derek, you do remember what happened yesterday? They shot you. We have to be able to protect ourselves."

"I understand that, but where can we buy an illegal gun that won't be connected to the people who want to kill you? It's too dangerous."

She stared at him, knowing he was right. There was probably a bounty on her head for the value of the drugs and cash she was supposed to have stolen. Every crook in the place had probably been told to look about for a white brunette woman with a black man. They would be easy to spot…. they really had to lay low after yesterday's encounter.

"Where are you going?" She asked as he swung his legs off the bed and began putting his jeans on.

"I'm going to ring Hotch. We should have called them last night."

"But your leg…."

"It's fine…" He waved away, "….It's just a flesh wound. I can walk on it no problem."

"I should come with you." She said, beginning to sit up.

"No…" He replied, gently pushing her back against the headboard, "….. It's better if you stay here. I won't be long." He told her, bending down and pecking her on the lips.

"Ok, just be careful." She said uneasily.

~~CM~~

Morgan parked the car a couple of blocks away from where they were staying and slowly walked back, contemplating how he was going to tell Emily the news Hotch had just given him. He trudged up the steps and knocked lightly at the door.

"Who is it?" He heard her yell.

"It's me."

She opened the door and smiled, then rushing to the other side of the room and crouched down.

"What are you doing?" He asked as he shut the door behind him.

"I can't find the camera. We took it out yesterday. Do you think we lost it when we ran?" She muttered, not turning back to face him.

"I don't know….." He sat on the bed watching her, "…. Emily we need to talk."

"Ok, but I'll just look for this first." She mumbled.

"Emily…."

"Yeah. In a minute. We need that camera. Let me just look." She dismissed him, continuing to ruffle through his bag.

"Emily, can you please just come and sit down for a minute. I've got something I need to tell you."

She immediately halted hearing the urgency and firmness in his voice. As she turned to face him, she felt a roll of her tummy as the nervous breath juddered down her body upon seeing his terrified expression.

"What is it?" She asked nervously.

He patted the mattress next to where he sat, "Come here." He uttered.

"What?" She said impatiently as she took the few steps towards him and sat down on the edge of the bed, not removing her eyes from his.

"I have some news from Hotch." He told her.

"That doesn't sound good. What happened?"

He shook his head, "Nothing happened, but there is something you need to know. Something they found out."

"Tell me what it is Derek." She said firmly.

"Castello…. They know why he is involved now."

Her eyebrows dipped, "Castello?"

He opened his mouth to speak, but his breath caught in his throat and nothing came out. He was about to throw her life upside down.

"Derek…. Please." She now pleaded, placing her hand gently on his, "…. You're scaring me."

He took a deep breath and enveloped her one hand in between both of his, "Emily…. This is going to be a big shock, but I'm here ok?"

She nodded.

"Castello is….." He swallowed hard before continuing, "…. He's your father."

Her eyes immediately widened and she shook her head slightly, the look of confusion and disbelief covering her face. She just stared at him for what felt like minutes.

"Emily…." He said softly in an attempt to pull her out of her trance.

He felt her hand start to pull away and a nervous smile flashed across her face, "Don't be ridiculous. What are you talking about?"

He grasped her hand a little tighter preventing her from leaving him, "It's true. Your mom told Hotch and Rossi."

"How can he be my father? My dad is….." She stopped, staring at him with wide eyes and he could see moisture already starting to form.

He reached out, "Hey…" He began, lightly cupping her cheek in one hand, "….. Robert will always be your dad."

She shook her head, "I don't understand what this means. What has this got to do with any of what's happening?"

"Let's talk it through. Try and figure it out."

Even his calm deep tone wasn't helping her to think straight as it normally would. Hundreds of memories were racing through her mind all at once. She pictured the father she had had all of these years.… _The man who dropped her outside the gates on her first day at school. The man who used to sneak her an extra scoop of strawberry ice cream after dinner when her mother or the nanny wasn't looking. The man who would read her a story every night before she went to sleep…_

Morgan watched as the brunette stared blankly at a spot on the wall. "Emily…." He uttered gently, but she didn't respond.

_The man who taught her how to ride a bike and how to swim. The man who knew her favourite colour was red and her favourite food was bolognaise, but with penne pasta, not spaghetti. The man who….._

"Emily…."

She felt his light touch on her knee before she heard his words. Removing her gaze from the non existent spot on the wall, she shifted it to him.

"I get it now." She said.

"Get what?"

"My dad….. He always tried to overcompensate…. Spoil me. I thought it was because my mother was away so much, but this makes more sense…." She paused in thought for a couple of seconds, "….He must have known right?"

Morgan nodded. "He did… It was your father who put Doyle's men onto Castello."

"He did….?" She said looking horrified, "….Why would he _do_ that?"

"Doyle's men wanted a lot of money. Your father didn't have it."

"But….." She halted. He could see her chest rising and falling heavily and he knew her mind was running at a hundred miles an hour still.

He shifted along the edge of the bed and pulled her into him.

"I know you'll have a million questions and we won't be able to get all the answers right now, but from what Hotch told me, your mother and father did whatever they did to protect you. Even Castello…. Apparently he wanted to be a part of your life."

He felt her shake her head in disbelief, but she remained silent. He began to feel a little moisture seep through his shirt so he held her a little tighter. He could feel her heart beating hard against him and as she wept, it began to slow, just slightly, so he guided her backwards with him and propped himself against the headboard. She rested alongside him, her arms wrapped around his chest.

He kissed her head lightly and held her one hand, content to stay right there until she was ready to talk once again.

~~CM~~

"You're back…" Castello stated unimpressed, as Rossi and Reid were shown in to his back room office. He remained seated.

"Harry, we've been to see Ambassador Prentiss. We know you're Emily's father." Rossi informed him.

Castello raised his brow in some surprise, "So she decided to air her dirty laundry then."

"_She_ didn't have much choice did she?" Rossi said firmly, beginning to lose his patience with the man.

Castello gave a small shrug of the shoulders causing the older Agent to launch forward and lean down on the desk, "She did it to try and help save her daughter…. _Your_ daughter!"

Rossi could see the man's jaw tighten and knew he was beginning to get to him, "Do you not care?" The older Agent pushed.

The gray haired man slammed his palm on the desk and stood up, turning his back to the Rossi.

"What is it Harry?"

He shook his head, "My son was just murdered and you come in here making out that I don't care if the same happens to my daughter!"

Rossi stood up straight, "On the contrary, I know you care. Tell me what you've done Harry. I know you wouldn't sit back and do nothing." He said, softening his voice a little.

Castello turned to look Rossi in the eye, but remained defiantly silent.

"What have you done Harry?" The Italian asked again, letting the man know he wasn't about to give up.

Castello closed his eyes for a few seconds and it was the first time Rossi saw small cracks begin to form.

"Harry?" He uttered once more.

The man opened his eyes and let out a long breath, "I've sent some of my men over to Brazil."

"To do what? _Find_ Emily?" Reid interjected, taking a couple of paces forward.

"Sort of….."

Rossi raised his eyebrows indicating for the man to continue.

"Doyle's men are out there looking for her. They murdered my son and they are not going to get away with it. I'll be damned if I let them murder my daughter too.

"Hang on…." Reid began, "…You're saying that not only are the police and the Comando Vermelho after Emily, but Doyle's men too?"

The man nodded. Reid shook his head with worry for his two friends.

"Have your men got any leads?" Rossi asked.

Castello looked from Agent to Agent without saying a word.

Rossi took a step forward toward the man, "Listen. We want the same outcome here… Emily back safe, and justice for your son."

Castello laughed sarcastically, "Agent, your idea of justice is very very different to mine."

"We pool our resources Harry, we can find her. We don't care about Doyle's men or what you do with them. We just want Emily back."

"For the local cops to screw her over for a crime she didn't commit?"

"Leave that to us. We've got that covered." Rossi told him.

"Really?" Castello answered, entirely unconvinced.

"You have my word." Rossi assured.

Castello slowly retook his seat at the desk, giving himself some thinking time.

Rossi waited patiently and watched as eventually the man raised his head to look at him once again, "Ok Agent, let's talk deals….."

~~CM~~

It had been about thirty minutes since a word had passed between them. She had shifted a little a few times, but only to move into him a bit more. He knew she needed this time to think and to calm her thoughts…. Well as calm as they could be. He couldn't give her the answers she needed, but he would try his best to figure this out with her.

Eventually he felt her warm breath graze his chest as she opened her mouth to speak, but what came out was not what he was expecting.

"Do you think that's why my mother is the way she is with me?" She mumbled into his chest.

He frowned, "What?"

"Do you think I remind her of him and that's why she is the way she is?"

"Emily, your mother loves you." He told her.

"I know she loves me, but….. She can be so cold sometimes."

"That's just who she is. That is not because of you or who your father is."

"But what if it is me?"

"Emily…."

She propped herself up onto one elbow to look at him, "My biological father is a murdering son of a bitch. He's evil….. May be that's why…." She looked at him searchingly with sad eyes.

"Why what?" He asked softly, somewhat confused.

"May be that's why I am the way I am. Because of him." She contemplated.

Morgan's face scrunched up in a frown, "The way you are? What are you talking about…..?"

Her eyes were swirling with sadness and uncertainty, so he placed one finger under her chin and turned her face to look at him in the eyes, "Emily you are a strong, kind and selfless person. You're the complete opposite of him."

She shook her head, "Look at where we are Derek. We're here because of me. You got shot because of me. Normal people wouldn't have done the things I did with Doyle. And that's why we're here."

"What you did with Doyle just proves my point. You sacrificed part of yourself for the greater good. You're right…. Most people wouldn't have done that. It just makes you even an even more incredible woman in my eyes."

Her lips curled up at the sides, just slightly, grateful to him for trying to make her feel better, but it quickly subsided once again as more thoughts hit her like a truck.

"Oh my god," She muttered under her breath, putting one hand to her mouth.

"What is it?" He asked softly.

"If Harry Castello is my father it means Shane is….." She stopped, correcting herself, "….. was my brother. He was killed because of me."

"Not because of you Emily." Morgan stated.

"I don't even know how to feel about that. I mean he was my brother and he's dead. Am I supposed to be sad?" She asked him almost desperately.

"Emily…" He smiled, tucking a piece of wayward hair behind her ear, "…. Give yourself a break. You don't _have_ to feel anything right now about him. But if you want to feel sad, then feel sad. That's ok."

"Even if he was a bad guy?"

Morgan shook his head, "Look, you didn't know him."

"There's another one."

"Another what?"

"Castello has another son. I've got _another_ brother…" She scoffed sarcastically, "…. I always dreamed of having a brother or sister. Careful what you wish for eh?"

Morgan shrugged, "You never know. May be he'll be ok."

Emily shook her head.

"What?" He asked.

"What was my mother playing at? It wasn't right keeping all this from me." Her voice deepened and he recognised the anger building.

"I'm not sure she was wrong Emily." He muttered.

"What? You think she did the _right_ thing?" She frowned.

"Think about it Em…. What your mom did was similar to what you did for Declan."

"What?"

"She shielded you from the bad and dangerous world that Castello was a part of, just as you did for Declan."

"But she lied to me."

"Why would she tell you? You had a man who wanted to raise you as his own. He loves you as his own. Why spoil that for you?"

She looked at him, her eyes softening, but inside desperately trying to stay angry with her mother…. But he was making some sense.

"Look, just wait and see what she has to say when we get back….." He said gently. "….. I know this is a big deal, I'm not denying that, but it doesn't change who you are."

She let a small smile encase her lips and silently thanked him with her eyes.

He shuffled towards her a little and then stroked her cheek with the back of his hand, "I love who you are." He whispered.

She stared at him…. Her eyes swirling with love for the man sat before her. He had taken a situation that had turned her world upside down and found the positive in it…. He was the only one who could ground her this way and unravel something to enable her to see the wood for the trees.

Then she felt a pang of guilt. She had two men wanting…. Fighting to be her father, one of them who had been the most wonderful father to her over the years. Derek had none.

She tenderly placed her hand atop his and entangled their fingers. Smiling, she closed the gap between them and leant in, stopping when her lips were just an inch away from his.

"Thank you…." She whispered, before gently connecting with him. She let the kiss linger for just a second and pulled away, just enough so she could look into his eyes. "…. I love you."

She watched as his dark pupils dilated as she finished those words. It was the first time she had said that to him and she kind of shocked herself. She had known she'd loved him for a long time and she knew she would tell him one day… she just didn't expect it to be this way, but the words fell out of her mouth by accident as she felt a wave of calm flow over her because of him.

He smiled and reached his big arms around her, burying his face in her soft dark hair as he pulled her against him, "I love you too Emily….. and I promise you everything will be ok."

And right at that moment, she believed him….

**To be continued…..**


	9. Chapter 9

**I apologies in advance for this chapter… There's not much Derek and Emily and it's quite short, but it is necessary to move on to the next part…. Thank you to all those who have reviewed… appreciated as always.**

Rossi and Hotch met in the corridors of the police station after their respective assignments.

"Did you get him?" Rossi asked, as they slowly walked.

"Yeah. His name's Luke Granger. JJ and Reid are interviewing him now with Detective Benson…. How did it go with Castello?"

"Good. Definitely got something we can work with. He said that…"

Rossi paused as Hotch's cell rang out and he watched the worn out looking man, reach for the cell from his jacket pocket.

"Agent Hotchner." The Unit Chief answered.

…..

"You're here? Ask to be bought up to Detective Hodgson's team."

….

"Ok see you in a minute."

"Who's that?" Rossi asked, as Hotch replaced the cell in his pocket.

"It's about time we thought about getting Morgan and Prentiss out and we need some help…."

But before the Unit Chief could reveal who it was, Rossi and Hotch were greeted by Detective Hodgson as they walked into the busy office.

"I hear you got him." The Detective called to them.

Rossi wasn't sure which of the two men before him looked more stressed out. The pressure was on for both, but in such different ways. Hodgson failing could mean the loss of a promotion or at least a delay. Hotch failing could mean the loss of two friends.

"Yes. He's just being interviewed now…" Hotch replied, interrupted though by a commotion.

"Agent Hotchner…..!"

The three men's attention was all of a sudden drawn to a loud, overbearing British accent, bellowing from across the room.

Rossi smiled at the man's familiar brashness as he walked over and joined them.

"Who's this?" Hodgson asked, eyeing the stranger suspiciously.

"This is Clyde Easter. He's with Interpol." Hotch told him.

"Interpol? I haven't authorised this….."

Just as Easter was about to respond, Reid and JJ appeared.

"JJ, what have you got?" Hotch asked.

She frowned in confusion upon seeing Easter, but continued anyway, "Granger saw the whole thing. He says three masked men grabbed Emily and took her glock. They put her in to the back of a van and began tying her up."

"So Emily's off the hook now, right?" Reid added.

"Hang on. This still doesn't mean she didn't kill Shane Castello." The Detective interjected, earning a roll of the eyes from JJ.

Easter took a step forward, with a tiny smirk apparent across his face, holding out a small square envelope.

"What's this?" The Detective asked, accepting the offering.

"It's a disk containing security footage from a private airfield in Brazil. It shows a private jet landing just under an hour before the commercial flight landed that _you_ believed Agent Prentiss was on. It then shows her being dragged off, barely conscious."

"Oh right." Hodgson replied, almost sheepishly.

"You have a witness who saw her having her glock taken from her and then being bound and bundled in the back of a van…." Easter continued, "….. You also now know the woman you thought was her fleeing the country after the murder was not her. She can no longer be a suspect in your case. You have nothing on her Detective. I suggest that you concentrate your efforts on finding the real killers. It is _my_ job to worry about Agent Prentiss now. She's no longer your concern….." Easter told the man as a matter of fact, not giving him any time to respond as he turned to Hotch. "…I suggest we move this operation back to Quantico."

As Easter turned and walked away from the bewildered Detective, Hotch turned to him, "Thank you for letting us assist with your investigation. I appreciate you will still need to speak to Agent Prentiss and I will arrange for that once she it back on US soil."

Hodgson just frowned. Hotch's attempt at smoothing the waters after the rudeness of Easter wasn't really working.

"I'll be in touch." The Unit Chief offered, before turning to catch up to Easter who was waiting by the front entrance.

"That was a bit harsh don't you think?" JJ said to the Brit as they caught up with him.

"The operation to get Morgan and Prentiss out is on a strictly need to know basis. I want it clear to the cops that they will be getting no information from me about that."

"Yeah, I think you achieved that." The blond said sarcastically and a little unimpressed.

~~CM~~

"So what you got?" Easter asked as they convened at the round table.

"Morgan and Prentiss are somewhere in Brazil…." Hotch began.

"Somewhere? You don't know?"

"They won't tell us."

Easter scoffed a chuckle, "Good girl." He muttered under his breath.

Hotch frowned, "Actually, it was Morgan who wouldn't tell us. He didn't want to get us in trouble. It's not that they don't trust us."

"Ok ok." Easter said holding up his hands in mock surrender, a smirk still etched upon his lips.

"So…." Hotch continued, "….. Prentiss has the Comando Vermelho, the Brazil police and Doyle's men out there after her."

The Brit shook his head, "She doesn't half get herself in some predicaments." He chuckled.

JJ, Reid and Garcia looked at one another, uneasy with the man's flippancy.

"So do you have any leads out there at all?" Easter asked with an unimpressed tone.

"Actually, we may do…." Rossi interjected, "…. Castello has sent some of his men out there to track down Doyle's men. Ultimately he wants revenge for his son's death, but he is willing to work with us."

"Why on earth would he do that?" The surprise in Easter's voice apparent.

"He's Emily's real father." Rossi told him.

All Easter could do was raise a brow and shake his head at this revelation. Anything really was possible with Emily Prentiss.

"He has some terms though." The older profiler continued.

"Go on." Easter said.

"One. That his men never find out he worked with us. He would lose any standing he has in this city if they found out."

"Do they know she's his daughter?" JJ asked.

"Yes, but as far as they're concerned they're out there to get revenge for Shane Castello's murder and that's it."

"Ok, what else does he want?" Easter probed.

"He wants to go to Brazil with you."

"What…?" Hotch exclaimed, with a shake of the head "….No way. We can't take someone like him with us."

Easter held a hand up, "Not so fast. If he comes with us, we will have complete knowledge of what his men do and where they are. If he leads us to Doyle's men, we're killing two birds with one stone. Right?"

Hotch frowned, not entirely at ease with this, but he knew Easter was a risk taker and not one to play by the rules and he would have to go along with this if he wanted to stay part of the operation. Easter could easily cut Hotch out of the loop.

"Ok, so what do you want form my team?" Hotch asked.

"I only really need _you_ to come with me. The rest remain here and feed anything you get from this end to us. My team will run the operation in Brazil. Be ready to go in three hours. I'll have a car pick you up." He directed the Unit Chief.

Hotch looked around his team as Easter left the room. They all looked a little deflated, "I'll keep you all up to date. We wouldn't even be at this point if it weren't for what you guys have done." He attempted to reassure.

"And Easter just sweeps in and takes over, not to mention the glory." JJ snarled.

"I'm pretty sure that's exactly what the cops say about us." Rossi smiled in an attempt to reason, but all the blond did was shrug and sit heavily down at the round table.

~~CM~~

"Have we gone far enough yet?" Emily sighed, fanning herself with yesterday's newspaper in the passenger seat of the car.

Morgan looked over and chuckled, "If I'd of known you were going to complain the whole journey, I would have left you in bed."

"I needed to get out of that place Derek. It feels like a prison cell."

"I know…" He conceded, "…And yes, I think we're far enough away if you want to turn the cell on."

She pressed the button at the top of the contraption and the screen lit up. A few seconds later, it bleeped at her.

"Oh my god." She said to herself, as she listened to the answer phone message.

"What is it?" He asked, glancing over as she put the cell into her lap.

"That was JJ…. She said that they have the evidence that it wasn't me who killed Castello, so I'm no longer a suspect in that case."

"That's good right?"

"Yeah, but that's not all though….. Hotch is on his way here with Easter. They're coming to get us out."

Morgan rolled his eyes and sucked at his bottom lip, "Easter." He growled.

She looked at him inquisitively and then shifted in her seat to face him, "Why do you hate him so much?"

"I don't _hate_ him Emily." He defended.

"Ok… don't _like_ him then. I can hear your teeth grinding every time his name is mentioned."

"_Emily_…" He moaned in an attempt to stop her line of questioning.

She smirked as she saw him get more wound up. "_Morgan_…" She mocked, with a shake of the head.

"Ok…" He said turning to her as they came to a stop at a red light, "… The man is smarmy, egotistical, arrogant, rude, reckless, smarmy…"

"You said smarmy twice." She interrupted, trying to stop herself laughing.

"Yeah well…." He began, driving off once again, "….I don't really care as long as he gets us out of here."

"It's because of the Doyle stuff isn't it?" She said a little more seriously.

"What? You mean the fact he got you involved with Doyle in the first place? Or the fact that he faked your death…..?"

When he got no response from her, he glanced over, regretting his words, even though she had pushed him to say them.

"Look…" He bargained, "…. I know he was just doing his job Emily. I just….. The whole thing just….."

"It's ok…" She interrupted, seeing he was struggling, "…. But he is my friend. It would be nice if you could get along."

"How good a friend?" He said raising a brow.

He could almost feel the daggers in his side as she stared at him.

"Hey, I was just kidding." He laughed nervously, gripping the steering wheel tight as he hoped he had masked his sudden bout of ridiculous jealousy.

"Sure…." She said a little suspiciously, "…. And just so you know, I have never slept with him if that's what you're thinking."

"Oh really?" He replied with a shrug of the shoulders, on the outside attempting to appear nonchalant, on the inside feeling a huge sense of relief.

"So. I guess we better get back and pack. We need to be ready to move." She said, shifting the topic of conversation.

"Yeah. Did JJ say how long Hotch and Easter would be?"

"She'd said they'd be here about five a.m."

"Ok, let's get back, pack everything up and get some rest."

~~CM~~

At five a.m. the following morning, Morgan and Emily had been up for an hour already. They'd driven out of town and turned on the cell phone awaiting a call. At five forty seven, the cell rang out.

"Yes?" Emily answered.

"_Emily, it's me."_

"Clyde?" His voice took her by surprise.

"_Yes… How are you darling? Still alive obviously." _

"You sound so pleased…" She spat sarcastically, "….. and yes I'm fine thank you."

"_You need to stop nearly getting killed darling. I really can't afford any time off for the funeral you know."_

"Clyde, you're a comedian… Not. So what's the plan?"

She heard his chuckle at the other end of the line. She had never in the whole time she worked for the man, heard him get stressed over anything, _"Ok…."_ He started_, "… There's an airfield about one hundred kilometres north east of Sao Paolo in a place call Sao Jose Dos Campos. Get there as soon as you can."_

"No problem. We'll leave now. Should be with you in about an hour from where we are now."

"_I'll have the jet ready_…. W_hen you get here, drive around to the rear entrance. There'll be a guard there, but he's expecting you. Once in the compound, you can't miss us."_

"I hope you've got some whisky on board." She half joked.

"_A 1974 single malt. On the rocks darling… just as you like it. Although drinking that stuff in any other way than neat really is a sin."_

She rolled her eyes, "And you never sin do you?"

"_Only when I'm breathing darling…. Now get a…..."_

His voice disappeared.

"Clyde…? Clyde…."

She removed the cell from her ear, "Damn, the battery's dead."

"Well, we have no way of charging out here…" Morgan told her, with a look on his face that would turn milk sour….. Her flirting with Easter was not his idea of pleasurable listening.

"We should be ok. We're not too far from them." She replied, looking at Morgan's unimpressed face and smirking, "…. What's up with you?"

"That was Easter then?" He snarled.

"Yes… Yes it was…" She chuckled, shaking her head, "…. Come on let's get out of here. You drive, I'll navigate."

~~CM~~

"Any news from your men?" Hotch asked Castello who sat at the end of the jet with an ear piece in, attached to his cell.

"Doyle's men are on the move. Not sure where to yet, though."

"Give me your man's cell number." Easter ordered.

"What for?"

"We can track them on GPS. I wanna know where they are at all times." The Brit told him.

Castello rolled his eyes at Easter's directness as he held the cell up to him, showing him the number.

Easter punched it into the system, and within in seconds a green dot appeared on the screen in front of the men.

"That's impressive." Hotch said.

"No expense spared."

"Yeah I can see from this jet. I thought ours was impressive, but this one…?" Hotch marvelled, looking around at the fine leather seats and the dark wooden furniture.

Easter chuckled and then made his way down the aisle, "Either of you want a drink…?" He asked. "… Only the finest wines on here." He joked…. Well it wasn't really a joke. They did have fine wines, but they certainly wouldn't be drinking them just yet.

~~CM~~

Forty five minutes later, Castello sat at one end of the jet in front of the screen, whilst Hotch and Easter sat at the other. Periodically he looked up at the two men, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't hear any of their muffled words.

As he went to stand to make for the bathroom he stopped suddenly and looked down at the screen. He leaned in a little closer and traced his finger along the map.

"Oh shit…" He mumbled.

"What was that?" Hotch called from the other end of the aisle.

"You better come and look at this." Castello told the two men hastily.

Easter and Hotch joined him in examining the screen.

"They're headed towards us." Hotch stated, watching the dot move along the lines.

"Why would they be doing that…?" Easter looked at Castello, a face like thunder, "…. How do they know we're here?" His voice rose.

"I didn't tell them, if that's what you're insinuating. Why the hell would I do that?" Castello defended.

Easter rubbed his forehead, "We must have been followed to the airfield in Washington. They would have been able to find out where the jet was set to land..." He slammed his fist on the table, "….Damn it!" He shouted.

"I'll call Morgan and Prentiss. Divert them." Hotch said, pressing redial and putting the cell to his ear.

Easter watched as the dark haired man frowned, looked at the cell and dialled again.

"It's off." Hotch uttered, a look of worry creeping over his face.

"Ring your men…" Easter ordered Castello, "…. Find out what's happening."

"_Boss?"_ The man's voice rang out on speakerphone

"What's happening Matty?" Castello asked.

"_Nothing much. They're still on the move. No idea where they're going." _He said nonchalantly.

"Ask him if they can take them out now?" Easter whispered.

"Can you not take the shot now?"

"_Not really boss. Not while they're on the move. There's two trucks."_

"How many men?"

"_Six."_

Castello looked to Easter for some direction. He just shook his head and signalled for him to cut the call off.

"Ok, let me know when you get the shot…..." Castello ordered, then pressing the cancel button on the cell. "….What do we do now?" He asked, looking to Easter.

"We wait…."

**So… To be continued….. The next and probably final chapter, is pretty much written, so will be posted very shortly. Any hopes for the finale…? lol ;)**


	10. Chapter 10

**So here it is… the last chapter. I'm kind of sad it's over, but it feels like the right point to finish it. Thank you so much for all your reviews and encouragement along the way. As much as I love writing this stuff, and would regardless of reviews, please believe me when I tell you that reviews spur any writer on and we appreciate you taking the time to do it…. Anyway, enough of my babbling… Hope you enjoy! **

The three men watched the road, leading from the rear entrance intently. After about the thirtieth time of looking at his watch, Easter finally pointed, "They're here."

Hotch made to the door of the jet with haste and waved frantically to Morgan and Emily in an attempt to hurry them up.

"What's he doing?" Morgan said, confused at his boss's actions.

"Derek, there's something wrong. Hurry up."

Before he could lower his foot further onto the accelerator he felt himself lose control of the steering as the loud bang of a tyre being blown out resonated through the car.

They skidded round and a shot flew through the rear window causing both Agents to duck down.

The car came to a stand still, with Emily's door closest to the jet and Morgan saw the two trucks screeching onto the tarmac having followed them on to the compound. There was no way he could get out of the car his side….. He would be right in their line of fire, so he remained as low down as he could.

"Emily. Get out!" Morgan shouted, seeing Hotch beckoning for her, crouched down as he made down the jet steps and used their car for cover.

"I'm not leaving you!"

"Just go. I'll be right behind you."

She shook her head.

"Go Emily…..! Now!"

But before she could protest once again, she was being dragged out of her seat by Hotch.

"Morgan, climb over." The Unit chief shouted over Emily's shoulder.

"Ok… Just take her Hotch." The dark Agent called back desperately.

Hotch's strength was too much for Emily as he pulled her backwards the short distance on to the jet. She grimaced as he crushed her broken ribs and the pain stifled her screams for Morgan to follow.

As they got through the entrance, she wrestled free of Hotch's grip making back towards the door, but as they heard a shower of gun fire begin outside, she was pulled backwards once again.

"Clyde, what's going on?" She screamed at him as she made it into the main carriage. But her attention was immediately drawn to the grey haired man who was sat gripping a cell to his ear. As he looked at her, her breaths got heavier, "… what the hell's he doing here?" She snarled at her old boss.

"Emily we don't have time for this right now." Easter said cutting her short, his face an inch away from the window.

They watched as the shell of the car Morgan was ducked down in, was littered with bullet holes.

"Clyde, do something please…." She said desperately, then turning to Hotch, "… please!" she begged.

"Take the shot Matty!"

Emily spun around and saw Castello shouting into the cell.

"_We've got em cornered boss." _Rang out from the speakerphone.

They looked over to the third vehicle screeching on to the tarmac, with three men hanging out of the windows, headed for straight between the two trucks. Machine gun fire quickly hailed over Doyle's men's vehicles as the four by four sped between them. They could all only assume that all six men had been taken out as the fire on Morgan's car stopped instantly.

Everyone stared outside…. Everything went deathly quiet. Emily's eyes bore into the car, willing Morgan to appear…..

"Why isn't he moving?" She almost whispered.

"He doesn't know if it's safe yet. That's all." Hotch attempted to reassure, inside hoping to god he was right.

"_Boss. We got em, but I don't know what's going on here. Can't see Emily." _

"Just leave." Catello told the man.

"_We're just checking the trucks. Make sure they're all dead."_

Easter leaned in….. "Get them out of here. We need to take off and the cops will be here any minute."

Castello did not respond, just looked at the Brit with contempt…. As if he needed another reason to hate the authorities.

"Ok…. Just hurry…." He said into the cell, "…. If Emily is there and she sees you, she can identify you and you'll go down for murder."

"_Ok, Baxter is just coming back from the truck. We'll go now…." _There was a short pause from the speakerphone, "….._Wait a minute. There's someone in that car….. It's that fed that worked with Emily. The black guy."_

"Just get out of there." Castello repeated, attempting to sound calm.

"_He's bound to have seen us. We're going to have to take him out."_

Emily's heart began to race once again and she couldn't breathe as she watched Morgan begin to crawl across the seat, at the same time as one of Castello's men took aim at him.

"Call him off!" Hotch growled to Castello under his breath.

Castello looked from Hotch to Emily, who was now looking at him with the biggest, most scared eyes he had seen….. pleading with him silently.

"Stand down!" He bellowed into the cell.

"_But boss, he's right here. We've got a clear shot. What do you care if we kill a Fed? You've never cared be…"_

"The last thing I need is them all over me because we did one of them in…" Castello interrupted, even though he knew it was too late to try and hide what his worker was about to say, "….. Now get out of there!" He shouted.

"_Baxter's just told me there's a load of drugs and cash in the back of one of the trucks. We can't leave that behind."_

As much as it went against the grain to pass up such an opportunity, Castello knew leaving it behind would mean the Comando Vermelho, with a bit of help from police corruption, would be reunited with their merchandise and Emily would be off the hook with them.

Castello lowered his voice, the venom almost spitting from his mouth, "Matty, I swear to god if you don't do as I say, you will have nothing to come home to. Do I make myself clear?"

There was a short pause and then the young man spoke, _"Yes. Loud and clear."_ The words spoken through clenched teeth before he ended the call.

Emily stared out of the window. It felt like an eternity, but eventually she felt the tight pain in the top of her chest subdue as the large four by four wheel spun and accelerated off the runway out of sight.

Immediately, she ran out of the door and down the steps, flinging her arms around Morgan's neck as he finally climbed out of the passenger door.

"Are you hurt?" She asked, pulling back and looking him up and down.

"No I'm fine….. But what the hell happened there?" He chuckled nervously.

She put her arms around him once again and he placed one arm around her back, feeling her whole chest expand and contract more than he'd ever known.

He felt her say something into his neck, but it was muffled as her lips teased against his skin, so he couldn't make out exactly what, but he thought he just about heard, _'…you're ok.'_

"Morgan. Prentiss. Come on. We've to get out of here."

He looked up to see the Unit Chief stood at the top of the steps.

He figured she hadn't heard him though as she remained clung to him, so he gently took hold of her arms and pulled out of the embrace.

"Come on Emily…." He muttered, "…Let's go home."

~~CM~~

Morgan stood with Hotch at the back of the plane as the Unit Chief made them both coffee. Emily had opted for the whisky she was promised by Easter and after watching Morgan nearly be gunned down for the second time, it was exactly what she needed.

As Hotch stirred the hot liquid he glanced over to the dark Agent who looked like he was in a world of his own, "You ok?" He asked with concern.

"I'm fine…." Morgan replied, leaning his head back against the wall, "…. Just glad this is over. I'm exhausted."

"You did a good job Morgan." Hotch assured.

"Thanks…." He muttered. No matter how long they had worked together, Hotch's acknowledgement was something Morgan always appreciated, and if he were honest, longed for on occasion…. And it worked both ways.

As Hotch looked over once again, he smiled cautiously seeing a smirk form across Morgan's face.

"What?" The older man asked.

"So…. _Do_ I have a job to come back to?"

Hotch stared at him seriously, but couldn't hold if for long before he broke into a small chuckle, "Really, the only thing you did wrong in the end was lie about being ill. Other than that, you flew out to find a friend and you were going to bring her back as soon as it was safe right?"

"Right." Morgan agreed.

"And then of course, as you were about to come back you got shot and you realised just how dangerous it was….. What you were up against out there."

"That's the truth Hotch." Morgan assured.

"I know. I think I'm still going to have to sweet talk Strauss though."

Morgan pursed his lips and took a sharp intake of breath, "Sorry man…" the younger Agent said picking up his cup of coffee, "….. Hey may be Rossi's the man for that job." He added with a wink.

Hotch laughed, "I think you may be right." He agreed as he went to walk past Morgan.

"Er Hotch…."

"Yes?" The Unit chief halted, turning back around.

"Do you have Robert Prentiss's cell number by any chance?"

"Yes. Why?"

"I just need to ask him something. That's all."

Hotch frowned at his evasion of answering the question, but reached into his pocket anyway, "Sure…. here."

"Thanks Hotch…." Morgan said, tapping the number in to his cell. As he finished, he looked back up to Hotch, "…. For everything."

"No problem. It really was a team effort…" Hotch said with sincerity, then turning back to glance at Emily, "…. Just don't screw that up."

"Hey, I've already had the fatherly chat from Rossi." Morgan protested.

"Fatherly…?" Hotch began with a raise of the brow, "…. Do you want me to have that chat with Strauss or not?"

Morgan laughed, "Ok, sorry….Slightly bigger brother chat."

"That's better…." Hotch smiled briefly, quickly returning to his serious face, "….But seriously, don't screw it up."

As his boss walked away with a chuckle, Morgan slipped into the bathroom to make a call…..

~~CM~~

As Morgan made back to his seat, he paused, looking down at the brunette who had not even noticed his presence next to her. She was staring absently at the man she had learned was her real father only a few days ago. He was sat a few rows ahead of her, his head rested back on the seat as he slept.

Morgan lowered himself into the seat beside her and lightly nudged her elbow.

"You ok?" He uttered.

She turned and smiled at him, "Yeah, I'm ok."

"You wanna talk to him?" He asked, nodding toward the sleeping man.

She shook her head, "I don't know."

All of a sudden Castello stirred as if he had known they were talking about him and glanced up at Emily. They locked eyes, but he was the one to give in first and look away. He couldn't read her, but he could tell it definite wasn't a warm stare.

"Do you feel like you've got something to say to him?" Morgan asked.

She shrugged, "I guess."

"So go and say it…." He whispered, reaching his hand over to grab hers….. He squeezed gently, "…. It's ok."

"I don't know." She mused.

"Emily, there's nothing he can do to hurt you. If it doesn't go well, just get up and walk away. It's that simple."

She took a deep, contemplative breath and placed her forearms on the armrests, ready to push herself up, "Ok. I'm gonna speak to him."

Morgan stood to let her by, but as she passed him, he took hold of her hand and gently kissed the palm, "…It'll be ok." He whispered.

She smiled a thank you and took the few steps towards the stranger.

He noticed her approach and shuffled in his seat as he watched her, his eyes following hers as she sat in the seat opposite him.

"I'm not sure what I'm supposed to say to you." She said directly, her voice far more shaky than she'd of liked.

"It's ok, you don't have to say anything if you don't want to." The man answered.

"But I want to."

He smiled at her contradictions, "So say whatever it is on the tip of your tongue. I'm guessing there's something."

"Well…." She began, struggling inside herself with what she was about to say, "…. I wanted to thank you…. for helping us get out of there…. and for Morgan."

"It's the only thing I've ever been able to do for you Emily, your entire life."

"And….. And I'm really sorry about Shane." She continued.

She watched as the man's shoulders lowered, almost as if he deflated right in front of her. But even with this feeling of sorrow for him, she couldn't help the words that came next.

"But this doesn't mean I want you to be my father."

He looked at her for a few seconds, his eyes dark and sad…. She was sure she saw his heart break just a little.

"I'm sorry…" She began, "…It's just….."

"It's ok Emily…." He interrupted, looking her straight in the eyes, "…..I get that we are from different worlds and I understand they can't mix. I know I stand for things that you fight against every day, but there is something I need to tell you. Something that I can give you."

"What?" She said with trepidation.

"You have another brother."

She nodded, "Yeah I know. Michael."

The older man shook his head and she frowned, "No. Not Michael. I mean, he is your brother, but you have another brother…. And a sister."

"What?"

"Their mother left me just like your mother did. Enemies of mine back then started threatening her…. Threatening that they would hurt the kids. So she left to protect them. At first I went after them, but she made me understand… just the same as for you. She made me realise the best thing I could do for you all was leave you alone, so that's what I did. That's when I stopped trying to be in your life."

"What about Michael and Shane? You stayed in their lives."

He shrugged, "Their mother was a junkie. Couldn't even warm a bottle of milk for them. They _were_ better off with me."

"So do you know where they are? My brother and sister I mean."

A small warm smile crept across his lips, "Their mother had moved them to New Jersey, but they both ended up back in DC because of their work. Kaitlin has just had her second baby. Kaitlin's beautiful, just like you…. And Gregory recently got married. He's a lawyer."

She paused, almost unable to take in what the man was telling her.

He let her ponder for a while in silence before asking, "What are you thinking?"

"How do you know all of this stuff if you weren't part of their lives?"

"I know a lot about you all… I know everywhere you travelled…. Europe, the Middle East. I know you graduated from Yale with top marks in your year and I know that you worked for Interpol and then came to DC. I also remember the exact thing I was doing when I found out you were dead. I even put flowers on your grave…" He paused as her eyes widened, "….. and when you came back from Paris…. Well, you have no idea how that made me feel."

He watched as a horrified grimace appeared across her face, but he chuckled.

"I know you probably think that is really creepy, but it was for no other reason than I just wanted to know what became of you and that you were ok. You are my flesh and blood."

"Ok…" She began hesitantly, not sure how to process the fact he had been watching her all these years. So in Emily Prentiss style, she changed the subject, "…. So how many kids _do_ you have?" She asked.

"Just the five of you…" He paused, realising it really was only four now.

"Will you tell me where they are?"

"Kaitlin and Gregory? Of course… but what about Michael? Do you not want to know him?"

She swallowed, "Is he like you….? Does he do the things you do?"

The man nodded.

"Well then I don't want to know him right now… Do you have any idea how much misery and pain you cause people?"

"It's the only thing I know." He answered as a matter of fact.

"That's bullshit. You could have gotten out."

"No I couldn't. This is my life. This is who I am Emily."

"I can't accept that." She said shaking her head.

"I'm not asking you to…." He shrugged, "…. We just have a different outlook on life."

She scoffed, "You're sure right about that. I think our moral compasses are at entirely different ends of the spectrum."

"Probably….. But do you know, out of all my children, I have worried about you the most with the things you've been involved with?"

"It's none of your business….." She defended.

He laughed warmly at her defiance, "I know you're strong and capable. I also know you've got money and there's a whole load more of that if you want it."

She shook her head, "I don't want a cent from you. It's blood money."

"Ok, fair enough…. But all I was going to say was, get out of this life while you can and be happy Emily. Live a simple life with someone who makes you happy."

She stared at him for a few seconds and then stood, "May be you should take some of your own advice." She told him looking down.

"I'm not too good at that." He responded holding her gaze.

As she looked at him, she felt a shudder flow through her. All of these years, she believed she had gotten her stubborn, slightly ruthless streak from her mother, but meeting Castello had blown that theory apart for her. She wondered how much like him she really was…. May be they had just channelled their traits in different things… hers for good and his for evil. How different her life could have been if he had been a part of it.

Everything spinning through her mind was getting too much and she was exhausted, so she averted her stare from his and walked the few steps back towards Morgan. He rose and let her sit.

"You ok?" He asked quietly, placing his hand over hers.

She shook her head, "No." She murmured.

"What did he say?"

"Nothing really important, other than he told me I have another brother and sister."

"You're kidding me?"

"Nope…. But they don't have anything to do with him…. like me."

She looked over to him when she didn't hear him respond and he was staring at her with a big smile.

"What?" She asked, confused.

"Emily you always said you wanted a brother or sister. And now you got both. This is a good thing right?"

She swallowed hard, "I don't know."

He shifted in his seat to face her straight on, "Look, just because you're going to have nothing to do with _him_, doesn't mean you can't get to know them. I know there's a long way to go, but something good may just come of this big mess."

"I think you're jumping the gun Derek."

"May be I am…." He began, lightly tapping the end of her nose with his finger and smiling, "….But don't pretend that you're not just a little bit excited. I can see that glint in your eyes."

Her head dipped, but her eyes looked up at him, and whilst her mouth was trying to hide her smile, her big dark eyes couldn't.

She leant her head against him and closed her eyes, tiredness finally getting the better of her….. Somehow, Morgan made her feel safe to dare to dream for the rest of the journey home, of that family that she had always longed for.

~~CM~~

Once the plane landed, as they walked across the tarmac of the private airport, Morgan felt Emily's fingers slip in between his. He squeezed her hand as they got nearer to the building upon seeing Garcia and JJ frantically waving through the large glass windows at them.

"I can't believe they're here Hotch. It's like two in the morning." Emily chuckled to her old boss.

"You think I could stop them?" He said, glancing at her with a smile and then walking ahead of them.

As they approached the doors, Emily stopped and loosed Morgan's grip, feeling a tap on her shoulder.

Turning she saw Harry Castello,

"I thought you might want this." He offered, holding out a small piece of paper to her.  
>She cautiously accepted it, Morgan looking on with a concerned frown.<p>

Opening it up, she saw his scrawly handwriting…. It was the full names and addresses of Gregory Martin and Kaitlin Riley.

"Thank you." She almost whispered, giving him the faintest of smiles.

"You're welcome…." He began, holding out his arm cautiously towards her. But he thought better of it and pulled away hastily, "….Be safe Emily." He uttered, before walking past her and away hurriedly.

She felt Morgan's hand squeeze the back of her neck gently, "Come on. Let's get inside."

Before she opened the door fully, she could hear the squeals of Garcia and as she took a step into the lobby, she was enveloped in between the techie and JJ.

"Ahh guys my ribs." She breathed.

"Oh my god sorry." Garcia said, pulling away.

"It's ok….. It's really good to see you guys." Emily smiled, holding Gacia's hand tight and rubbing JJ's arm.

"You have got to stop doing this to us Em… seriously; you're going to put us all in an early grave." JJ chuckled.

"Why did you look at me when you said that?" Rossi's voice came from the side of them.

Emily looked around the blond seeing the older profiler and the young Doctor approach, "Thank you all for everything….." She said.

Reid smiled awkwardly as Rossi winked at her.

Garcia then stepped in front of Morgan and reached up putting her arms around him, squeezing tight. As she pulled away she looked at him sternly, "I really want to slap you and hug you at the same time Derek Morgan."

"Hey… It all worked out ok didn't it?" He protested.

"Yes it did…." She said, leaning in and lowering her voice, "…. Thank you for bringing her home safe….. And you."

Morgan smiled at his friend as she moved to now stand in front of Emily, "And you madam…. We have some serious girl talk to have." She said waving a finger between the brunette and Morgan, who immediately looked worried. He now knew that not one part of his life would be sacred.

"Of course Pen…. May need a few glasses of wine though." Emily said dryly.

"Girls' night it is then." Garcia clapped gleefully.

"Hey Em…" JJ said softly, touching her friend's forearm gently, "….There's some others waiting to see you."

"Others?"

"Your mom and dad. They're waiting in the private lounge."

"They're here?" She said, her eyes wide in shock.

"They insisted." The blond told her.

Emily looked back to Morgan who just smiled and nodded in encouragement for her to go to them. She said nothing though, and he could see her eyes were screaming for him to go with her; The woman had stared death in the face with contempt more times than he cared to think about, yet he had never seen her so filled with dread as right now.

He took a few paces, closing the gap between them and placed his hand in the small of her back, "Come on," He whispered.

~~CM~~

She spied her mother first, nervously pacing the room, rubbing her hands in front of her.

"Do you want me to leave you alone?" Morgan asked as they stood in the doorway of the large longue.

She touched his hand lightly, "No. Just wait here."

"Sure."

She slowly walked towards the Ambassador who was stood with her back to her…. no idea her daughter was there.

"Mother."

The dark haired woman spun round, a look of shock and fear on her face.

"Emily…." She rushed forward, but stopped short of throwing her arms around her, unsure of the reaction, "…Thank god you're ok…. You are ok right?"

"Yeah I'm fine. It a bit bruised, but nothing that won't heal."

"Emily I'm so sorry I lied to you. I know you probably hate me right now but I…."

She held a hand out to her mother to halt her, "….It's ok. I mean, we do need to talk about it, but I don't want to fight with you."

Her mother smiled sadly, holding back her tears, "Of course." Her words broke at the end as she finally wrapped her arms around her daughter. It was an awkward hug, but she was grateful that the younger woman hadn't entirely rejected her.

"Emily….?"

The brunette immediately spun around hearing his familiar, homely voice. Leaving her mother's embrace abruptly, she almost ran to him, flinging her arms around his shoulders, "Dad." She cried into him.

"Angel…. You have no idea how good it is to see you." He breathed into her hair, swaying her in his arms and rubbing her back gently.

He just held her as she sobbed and gave her time to compose herself, before she pulled away from him to look him in the eyes, "Please know this won't change anything between us. You are and will be my only father."

"I know sweetheart…..." He said with a smile, wiping away her tears, "…..Come over here. I've got something for you."

He led her to the seats at the edge of the room and guided her to sit down. She hadn't noticed the small bag he had in his hand until he was reaching inside it and she watched as he pulled out a dark green box.

"Here….." He smiled, handing her the gift.

"What is it?"

"Open it…" He told her gently.

She swallowed hard as she pulled the box open. Her eyes widened upon seeing the contents. If she didn't know better, she would have sworn he was giving her the exact graduation gift he had given her all those years ago. But it couldn't be…. With a shaking hand, she pulled the gold watch out of the box and hesitantly turned it over to look at the back…. '_To my Emily. From the proudest father in the world. Always & Forever.'_

She opened her mouth and breathed softly, trying hold back more tears. He had added _'forever'._

"Here…" He said taking the watch from her and winding it around her wrist, doing up the clasp.

"How did you….?"

She stopped as she saw her father glance up at the man stood in the doorway, still patiently waiting, attempting to look as if he wasn't trying to listen to every word they said.

"Listen…" Robert Prentiss said, squeezing her hand, "….You go. I'm sure you have stuff you need to do. Me, you and mom will sit down and talk about this when you've had some rest. Ok?"

She smiled and nodded.

"Go on then…" He whispered, nodding towards Morgan.

She leant in and kissed him on the cheek, "Thanks daddy." She said before turning and walking towards the waiting dark Agent. As she did, she turned back to her mother who had her arms wrapped around herself, stood watching everything going on looking so alone. Emily attempted a reassuring smile, but she wasn't sure she'd pulled it off as her mother attempted a smile back too, but hers was masked with fear and guilt.

"I'll see you tomorrow mother." She called back, her voice softening.

A warmer, relieved smile appeared on the woman's face, "Wait…." She shouted, walking towards them.

The Ambassador stood in front of them and looked from her confused daughter, up to Morgan.

"Thank you for bringing her home safe Derek. Hopefully one day I can repay you."

"No problem….." He uttered. "…. And I really don't want repaying."

"I'll see you tomorrow Emily." The older woman said, looking back to her daughter.

"Yeah, see you tomorrow mother."

The couple turned and walked down the long deserted corridor. Emily leaned into him and mumbled sarcastically, "Derek is it? First name terms with my mother? That's quite impressive."

He shrugged, "What can I say… Even the Ambassador couldn't help but fall for the Derek Morgan charm." He said with a grin.

Laughing, she rolled her eyes, but then stopped, grabbing for his arm. As he turned to face her, she took hold of his other arm and slowly and gently pushed him against the wall.

He looked down to her with a confused smile

"What do you mean, _even the Ambassador…_? Who else has fallen for those charms?" She questioned with grin, her hands snaking around his waist.

He raised his brow nonchalantly, "Oh well, there's this brunette chick I know who I think kinda likes me."

"Really? Well I think…." She began, pressing her body against his, "…..She kinda more than likes you." She said, placing a chaste kiss upon his lips.

"Yeah?" He mumbled.

"Yeah." She whispered.

She looked into his smiling eyes, "Thank you for everything Derek…." She started, pulling her one arm from around him and holding the gold watch on her wrist in front of him, "…And this… I don't even know what to say."

"Just say you'll let me keep doing this stuff…. Forever…. That's all I want."

"Ok…" She whispered, wrapping her arms around him once again and placing a warm, gentle kiss on the side of his neck, "… if you insist." She breathed into him.

~~EPILOGUE~~

A couple of days later they lay in her big bath tub, her back against his chest, surrounded by bubbles. Their bodies were healing well now they had had some proper rest and decent food… mainly supplied by Garcia. Emily's kitchen was stacked with multiple Tupperware tubs and an array of cup cakes.

They had lay in silence for a few minutes, both happily dozing as the aromas from the oils filled their senses.

"Can I ask you something?" She said sleepily.

"Sure." He answered, gently running his fingers up and down her arm.

"What do you see yourself doing when you leave the BAU? I mean, have you thought about it?"

He paused in thought, "Actually, I have…." She just about heard a breathy chuckle escape his lips, "…. I've probably thought about it way too much."

"Go on… tell me." She encouraged.

"Well, there's a town about fifty miles north of Chicago, right on the coast. There's a really old house that's stood empty since I was a kid. It's pretty much on it's last legs, but my dream has always been to buy it, do the place up and live there for the rest of my life. It's beautiful, but needs so much work… not to mention money."

"That's a nice dream."

"Yeah, but that's not just it…. What I really want to do is go back to the youth centre I used to go to. Coach a bit of football and basketball to the kids. That place could do with so much more support than it gets. There's so many kids out there they can't afford to reach. I'd like to help."

She smiled and turned, sitting up to face him, her legs draped over his.

"That's a really lovely ambition…" She said, leaning in and kissing him sweetly on the lips, "….Why don't we do it?" She whispered, her lips still touching his.

"What?" He breathed.

She sat back, "I've got money…. Why don't we leave all this behind? I'm tired of all this Derek. We work and work and it feels like one vicious circle."

"Are you serious? You mean quit our jobs?"

She nodded.

"I…" He began, dropping their stare, "…..I don't know if I'm ready."

"Oh…" She uttered, shifting back, feeling her stomach turn.

He grabbed her wrist, "I don't mean I'm not ready for us…. Emily I'm more than ready for us…. I have been all my life…. I just never realised it until the day you told me you were a nerd."

She couldn't help a small smile creep across her face, but she still felt a little sick, so she loosened his grip and carefully climbed out of the tub, wishing she could run a mile.

"Hey…" He reached out as she was putting a towel round her, "…Come here." He whispered, taking hold of her hand as she got closer, lightly tugging encouraging her to lean down to him, "I love you, you know that right?" He said.

"I know." She nodded, placing a light kiss on his forehead before walking out, her mood sunken.

~~CM~~

As she made her way down the stairs after drying her hair and getting changed into her night shorts and vest top, her tummy fluttered with nerves. She had spent the last half hour cursing herself for being so stupid… so forward. Could that be enough to make him run a mile from her if the past few days hadn't already done the trick?

Quietly stepping into the lounge, she spied Morgan sat on her sofa, the low drone from the television in the background. As she stepped in front of him, she saw him intently looking at the screen of the laptop sat upon him.

"Hey…" He smiled, looking at her, "…Come here." He put his arm out across the back of the sofa, beckoning for her to sit next to him.

As she did, he let his hand rest on her naked shoulder, apart from the thin spaghetti strap.

"What you looking at?" She asked.

He turned the screen to face her, "I booked us a long weekend away."

"You did? Where to?"

"I'm gonna take you to see that house I told you about. See what you think."

She turned and looked at him, her eyes widening.

"What?" He asked with a smirk, spying her expression out of the corner of his eye.

"Why are we going to look at the house?"

She watched him pick up the laptop and place it down on the floor, then shifting his body round so he was facing her, taking hold of her hands.

"Listen, I'm sorry I reacted the way I did earlier. It just shocked me I guess…. But only because I never thought I'd be doing any of that for a long while yet. But, when I think about us and what we've been through, not only over the last few days, but the last few years, I think we deserve a break… and to be honest, I can actually think of no reason at all that we shouldn't do it."

"That's a quick change of heart Derek. A few minutes ago you said you weren't ready."

"I'll tell you what I know Em…. I know that I love you…. I know I don't want to be apart from you….. And honestly…? I know I want to spend the rest of my life with you….."

"Derek…" She uttered.

"Let me finish…." He interrupted her, "….The last few days have been crazy, I know that, but spending all that time with you, it felt right and it's making it really hard for me to walk out of that door and go home…. I really don't want to."

She shuffled forward, so she was as close to him as possible, cupping his face in her hands and kissing him sweetly, "So don't leave then….." She whispered. "…Stay."

"You want me to?" He breathed into her.

"More than anything."

Pulling away from her slightly, he placed his strong hand son her thighs, "So you'll come and have a look at the house?"

"I'd love to…. But you're sure about this?" She questioned.

"Of course… Look, Emily there's no pressure. When we see it, if it feels right…" He shrugged, "….It is right."

He watched her beautiful smile fill her beautiful face as she wrapped her arms around him. She allowed herself to melt into him as he slowly lowered her backwards on to the soft sofa and kissed her deeply.

"I love you." She whispered into his ear as he tenderly pecked at the ivory skin on her neck.

He raised his head and looked into her big, glistening eyes, "I love you too."

And at that point, he knew for certain, that when they went to Chicago, everything was going to feel very very right.

**The end….**

**So what did you think? I'm interested to hear what folks thinks about Emily's reaction to Castello… Morally, it was a dilemma… What about the rest of it?**

**I really hope you enjoyed the last chapter… Thanks for reading!**


End file.
